Purdue handles Nebraska at home behind a Loyer career-game and another Zach Edey double-double.
The one game home losing streak is over.
After being stunned by Rutgers the last time Purdue took to Keady Court the Boilers made sure there would be no second straight upset. From a Fletcher Loyer three 20 seconds into the game to a Fletcher Loyer three with 41 seconds left, the Boilermakers were in full control throughout against Nebraska, earning a wire-to-wire 73-55 win over the same Cornhusker team that took them to overtime a month ago.
Loyer finished the game with a career high 27 points, giving him 49 in two games against Nebraska this season. Zach Edey finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks while Mason Gillis and Braden Smith each had 10.
Short-handed Cornhuskers
If coming into Mackey Arena against the #3 Purdue Boilermakers wasn’t a daunting enough task, Coach Fred Hoiberg had to do it with two of his starters out with injury.
Sam Griesel missed with a hip injury and Juwan Gary continues to suffer from a shoulder injury.
Hoiberg hopes to have Griesel back by next week, but Gary’s shoulder is an ongoing concern.
Purdue dominates the glass.
Zach Edey led the way, but it was a team effort for Purdue on the glass, out rebounding Nebraska 38-19, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass. This was a stark turnaround from the game in Lincoln where the Cornhuskers grabbed 19 offensive rebounds.
Mason Gillis said after a game this was something the coaches stressed to them all week. Gillis was one of five Boilermakers with 4 or more rebounds.
Fletcher on Fire.
Purdue couldn’t hit a three in the first match-up against Nebraska, Fletcher Loyer went ahead and made sure that wasn’t going to happen again.
Braden Smith drove right from the top of the key on Purdue’s first possession, but two dribbles in, he kicked it out right to Fletcher Loyer at the wing with the shot clock in single-digits. Loyer rose up and hit his first shot of the night and gave Purdue the early 3-0 lead.
C. J. Welcher would have a chance to respond early with a wide open lay up at the rim, but Zach Edey’s size scared him into him hitting it low off the backboard and Purdue avoided an early easy basket. Derrick Walker would finish a lay in at the rim on the next possession.
Then it was Fletcher Loyer finding Braden Smith on the perimeter and the point guard would make his first three of the game giving Purdue a 6-2 lead. Smith and Loyer would continue their two-man game when Smith found Loyer again who pump faked and then side stepped into his second three of the game. Purdue would go into the under 16 minute with a 9-2 lead.
Derrick Walker would score on Zach Edey again, but Loyer responded with his third three of the night, a 27 seven footer at the top left of the three-point line. Loyer had gone 2 of 10 in his first match up with Nebraska.
Purdue led 12-4 with just over 14 minutes left when Nebraska threw a ball out of bounds on their next possession.
Loyer wasn’t done, as he caught another ball with a closing defender coming at him and he pumped before stepping back into a corner three-pointer. It was his fourth three of the half and gave Purdue a 15-4 lead.
Trey Kaufman-Renn came in for Zach Edey and Nebraska’s leading scorer, Derrick Walker, forced Kaufman-Renn into a travel at one end before attacking him off the bounce at the other. He made a lay up to pull within single-digits, 15-6, and then hit a spinning hook shot off glass in the next possession.
A rare Loyer miss would follow, but Mason Gillis chased down the rebound and put it back in to go up 17-8.
Walker would score again past Kaufman-Renn to go to 17-10 before drawing another turnover on Kaufman-Renn when Kaufman-Renn lowered his shoulder in the post and was called for a charge.
David Jenkins would draw a foul on a mid-range pull up and hit the second of two free throws to give Purdue an 18-10 lead.
With Edey back in, Walker was still confident with the ball and attacked the big man off the dribble. He finished another lefty-lay up to cut the lead to 18-12.
With the shot clock winding down for Purdue, Ethan Morton was able to drive to the right, create space and whip a pass to Braden Smith at the top of the arc who swung to the corner where Brandon Newman got his first shot to fall, a corner three to move the game to 21-12 Purdue with just over 7 minutes in the first half.
Derrick Walker would stare down Zach Edey on the next possession with the ball beyond the three-point line. Edey didn’t budge so Walker took just his second three of the season and made his first three-pointer of his career.
Nebraska was making just enough shots to stay in it, and the three pulled them to within 6 points, 21-15.
Zach Edey wasn’t able to get the ball down low on Purdue’s possessions so he started to go after offensive rebounds, dunking in a miss and grabbing another miss and laying it in to bring the game to 25-17 around the four minute mark. Emmanuel Bandoumel hit a tough mid-range jumper in between Edey’s back to back put backs.
Nebraska, down two starters, had to go to their bench to get production from unlikely sources. Oleg Kojenets made a nice cut and finished a lay up, but Purdue responded with a corner three from Caleb Furst that put Purdue up 28-19.
Then Keisei Tominaga started happening. He had a huge second-half against Purdue in their first match-up, and he started to get hot late in the first in Mackey. His three over Ethan Morton cut the lead to 28-22.
Edey would grab another offensive rebound and get fouled on his put back attempt. He’d make just the second.
Tominaga would get inside and use his craftiness to spin on his pivot and get a scoop lay up to bring Nebraska back within 5, 29-24.
Fletcher Loyer would use Nebraska’s close outs against them to end the half, catching and driving to draw a foul at the rim. He’d make both free throws. Then Caleb Furst would find Edey in the post and Edey took advantage of not being doubled for one of the first times on the night by making a quick hook shot from about 8 feet.
Loyer’s final drive of the half would give Purdue a 35-24 lead going into the half as he kissed his floater off the glass from the right side.
Dominating the Glass
Nebraska made just enough shots in the first half to stick around, but undermanned and a mismatch of talent started to show in the second half. Didn’t help that they started off the half turning the ball over, with Ethan Morton taking it from C. J. Wilcher and then Wilcher losing it on a drive to give Purdue’s defense two forced turnovers in the first two possessions.
Morton responded by making his first three of the game, pushing Purdue’s lead to 38-24.
Then Edey was able to seal off Walker inside and by the time he caught the entry pass, Walker had no other option than to foul. Edey would make both free throws.
Fletcher Loyer continued his hot shooting, this time creating off the dribble and hitting a mid-range fall away jumper to put Purdue up 42-24 less than three minutes into the second half.
Edey would block Walker on one end and Braden Smith would drive to the hoop at the other and finish through contact from Bandoumel for an and-1. His free throw would give Purdue a 45-24 lead.
A Loyer free throw and Nebraska’s first basket of the half, a Walker lay up, would move the lead back to twenty for Purdue, 46-26.
Boundoumel would start to get hot for Nebraska, providing some guard scoring. His attack in transition would lead to a euro-step lay-up.
Purdue’s responded with more dribble penetration, this time Loyer drove into the lane, pulled in the defense, and found a cutting Furst on the baseline for a thunderous two hand jam. Purdue went up 48-28.
Braden Smith’s lay up pushed the lead to 22 before Bandoumel hit just the third three of the game for Nebraska.
Fletcher Loyer would then hit a pull up three off the dribble for his fifth three of the night. Purdue’s lead would go from 53-31 to 53-33 after another Walker lay up for Nebraska.
For the second straight match-up, Tominaga gave Purdue fits in the second half. This time, Brandon Newman lost the lefty-guard off ball and Tominaga hit a catch and shoot three from the right wing.
Mason Gillis would get fouled on the next possession on a defensive rebound and get two free throws.
Back to back turnovers by Brandon Newman and David Jenkins Jr. would give Nebraska a chance to cut into the lead further. A foul was called on a Tominaga floater and the guard would knock down two free throws to cut the lead to 55-38.
David Jenkins Jr. would then drive left and find Gillis in the corner for a three pointer.
Rarely used Jamarques Lawrence would hit a turn around jumper off an offensive rebound on the next possession.
Loyer would hit two more free throws after back to back offensive rebounds by Zach Edey and Mason Gillis kept a possession alive. Then Tominaga would lose Newman again at the top of the arc and hit his third three of the game.
Purdue’s lead was cut to 60-43.
Trey Kaufman-Renn would get an offensive rebound then draw a foul in the post, making both free throws.
Mason Gillis would bail out an expiring shot clock possession by driving hard right and laying it in to push Purdue’s lead to 64-43.
Lawrence would make another basket, a drive and finish with the left hand. Then Derrick Walker drive on Kaufman-Renn again, hit a spin move in the paint, and finish over Kaufman-Renn as Kaufman-Renn was called for his third foul. Walker would miss the free throw.
Zach Edey would then collect his 9th straight double-double when Braden Smith found his big man sealed inside. Edey finished through contact and drew the foul on Bandoumel inside. His free throw gave Purdue a 67-47 lead that Smith would push to 69-47 with four minutes remaining in the half.
Nebraska would score on a Lawrence put back and a Tominaga three before Bandoumel would add his own, briefly pulling the score back to 15, 70-55 before Fletcher Loyer fittingly put ice on any comeback attempt with his 6th three-pointer and his career-high 27th point.
