WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Zach Edey had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Braden Smith scored 19 points to lead No. 2 Purdue past Indiana 79-59 on Saturday night.
The 7-foot-4 Edey also had four assists, two blocks and his first career 3-pointer for the Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten). Smith grabbed nine rebounds in Purdue’s eighth consecutive win.
It’s the first time since 1993-94 that Purdue beat Indiana by 20 or more points twice in the same season.
CJ Gunn had a career-best 13 points for the Hoosiers (14-10, 6-7). Kel’El Ware added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Trey Galloway finished with 10 points and seven assists.
It was a familiar script for Purdue.
Indiana led for the first 6 1/2 minutes and was within 20-18 a little more than midway through the first half. The Hoosiers missed 10 of their next 11 shots and allowed Purdue to again finish the half with a strong run. The Boilermakers used a 15-1 spurt to take a 37-25 halftime lead.
Unlike the last time, though, Indiana never charged back. Instead, the Boilermakers opened the second half with 10 straight points to make it 47-25 and Indiana never recovered.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: The Boilermakers have been one of America’s top teams each of the past two seasons. Not surprisingly, wins at Wisconsin, in overtime against Northwestern and now a sweep of Indiana has Purdue well-positioned for a second straight Big Ten title run.
Indiana: Coach Mike Woodson’s team has struggled with consistency, especially on the road. It happened again Saturday. Woodson appeared to bring the competitiveness back to this series with three straight wins over the previous two seasons. But both games this season were blowouts, and time is running short for Indiana to build its resume.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Defending national champion UConn won twice this week, making it likely the Huskies again will prevent Purdue from ascending to No. 1. But there’s little doubt the Boilermakers will extend Division I’s longest active streak of being ranked in the top five to 31 in a row.
UP NEXT
Indiana: Hosts Northwestern on Feb. 18.
Purdue: Hosts Minnesota on Thursday.
