The Purdue Boilermakers defeated The Maryland Terrapins by a final score of 67-53. Purdue’s leading scorers were Zach Edey with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Braden Smith with 14 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds, and Lance Jones with 11 points and 4 assists.
1st Half
Purdue is coming into this game with a 5 game-winning streak, and they were on a mission in the first half. The defense was great by Purdue, and they held Maryland to a very inefficient first half. On the other hand, Purdue was shooting the ball with ease, and in the first half, they already had more threes made than the upset loss last year to Maryland. Lance Jones was locking down Maryland star Jahmir Young, holding him to a horrible first half. Not only was Lance playing great defense, but the entire team was freezing the Maryland offense. Purdue led 32-19 at halftime.
2nd Half
Purdue was entering the second half with a 13-point lead, but knowing Purdue and holding onto second-half leads, It was always on my mind what could happen if Maryland hit a few threes or Smith turning the ball over. Purdue didn’t just hold onto their lead, they were scoring with ease and stopped runs. Maryland played much better in the second half, but that wasn’t because of bad defense, it was because of a great offense. Maryland guard Jahmir Young finally showed up in the second half, ending the game with 26 points and 0 assists (I guess he doesn’t like to pass much). Lance Jones and Braden Smith were both hitting threes left and right, and Purdue shot 9/20 (45%) from the three, and 25/54 (46.3) from the field. Purdue won the game 67-53.
Player Of The Game: Zach Edey
Even though he wasn’t dominant like he normally is, Edey still played a great game. I know Lance and Braden both shot well, but 23 points and 12 rebounds is great. Edey was a weapon this game, if you double him he can pass out to a shooter, and if you don’t double him, he will slam it on your head, truly a dangerous weapon. Another game, another double-double, this was Edey’s 47th career double-double in a huge conference win over Maryland. You can expect many more Player of The Game’s for Edey, he 100% deserves another NPOY.

#1 Purdue plays #9 Illinois on Friday, January 5th at 8:30 PM EST @ Mackey Arena

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