WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Scarlet Knights took a tough loss on the road at Mackey Arena on Thursday night.
Purdue shot the lights out of the ball and started the game (9-11) from the field to propel past RU 96-68.
The Boilermakers shot (7-12) from three-point range in the first half. Purdue took a 52-33 lead into the break.
For Purdue senior center Zach Edey led the way with 25 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 11-of-11 at the free throw line. Senior guard Lance Jones had 17 points and was 7-of-14 from the field. Redshirt freshman Cameron Heide scored 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting. Sophomore guard Braden Smith was 5-of-10 from the field and added 13 points.
Purdue scored the most points for a Rutgers opponent all season. The Boilermakers made 12 three-point shots in the game. Purdue improved to 44-3 in Mackey Arena over the past three seasons, with a Rutgers win over a top-ranked Boilermakers team last season representing one of the three wins in that span.
Grad student guard
Noah Fernandes made his first three shots from the field and scored eight points in the first half. Fernandes finished with 11 points. Redshirt junior guard
Jeremiah Williams scored 12 points in his Mackey Arena debut.
The Scarlet Knights return home for two-straight games at Jersey Mike's Arena beginning with a noon tip against Maryland on Sunday.
Gallery: (2-22-2024) MBB Visits Purdue
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Steve Pikiell
On the loss:
"We can't give up 96 points. We gave up 91 the other day. Purdue is excellent and they know how to move the ball. They were a step ahead of us and Zach Edey is a problem every year. He put up 25 points and went 11-11 from the foul line. We just didn't have it and I didn't have these guys where they needed to be against one of the best teams in the country. If our defense doesn't travel like that, especially in this league, you cannot win."
On Mawot Mag's absence
"You need everybody and he couldn't play today. He practiced great yesterday and we have been battling this all year long. Having another defender helps but we have good enough players to keep opponents in the seventies. That is what we felt we needed to do today but I have to give them credit. They bounced back from their last game against Ohio State and were ready. They made challenging and open threes. They had us in the rebounding department too, they are a really good offensive rebounding team. Matt (Painter) is a good coach and we have to play better than this."
On game strategy:
"We changed up defenses, we tried to use different sets, but they were ready. I thought their point guard Braden Smith was excellent. When he gets in the lane and then they throw the ball to a seven-foot-five guy, that is a tough thing to defend. They executed tonight and we didn't, they showed why they're one of the best teams in the country. We needed to play great to be in this game."
