Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Purdue becomes the first team with 20 wins, going into Ann Arbor and winning a close one.

Purdue looked like they had this one wrapped up, but Michigan made a strong push in the final minute, but the Boilers hold off the Wolverines to win 75-70.

In a battle of the two of the best big men in the Big Ten, Zach Edey had 19 points and 9 rebounds while Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Purdue was helped with 23 bench points to Michigan’s 9, with Trey Kaufman-Renn and David Jenkins Jr. both going for 8 points.

Purdue had one of its best shooting performances of the season, making 27-50 from the floor, doing most of its damage inside with 40 paint points. They didn’t shoot often from three, but was efficient when they did, connecting on 5 of 12 three-pointers, with David Jenkins Jr. making two off the bench.

Purdue edged Michigan on the boards, 34-26.

[embedded content]

Bench Play

Mason Gillis earned the start in the second half, Brandon Newman hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds, and Trey Kaufman-Renn and David Jenkins Jr. both had 8 points off the bench.

Painter said Gillis was making plays in the first half and earned the start in the second. He hit just the one three, but his hustle plays earned Purdue extra possessions and allowed Purdue to play against a smaller Michigan lineup. In 13 second half minutes, Gillis grabbed a defensive and offensive rebound, knocked down the three, assisted on a basket, and had a block and steal.

David Jenkins Jr. is starting to get hot at the right time for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers. Lauded for his locker room mentality, the six-year transfer is starting to show his sharp shooting instincts, draining both his three-pointers in this one, including a dagger three with the shot clock expiring. He also hit two free throws. He played extended minutes in the first half with Braden Smith getting into foul trouble.

Trey Kaufman-Renn had been struggling with just about everything you can on a basketball court since Big Ten play started. He’d been fouling, turning it over, and missing shots. Against Hunter Dickinson, he got going early, scoring inside on a bucket, and kept it going in the second half. The redshirt freshman hopes this is a game that will kick start his second half of the season. He scored 8 points on a perfect 4 for 4 shooting.

Brandon Newman scored just a lay up in the first half, but Painter brought him in late to help on defensive assignments and to have another shooter on the floor for free throws. After an improbably banked in three, Newman received the in bounds pass with less than ten seconds left and just a three-point lead. Newman calmly stepped up to the line and made both free throws, icing the game for the Boilers.

[embedded content]

Free Loyer

Fletcher Loyer made up for a 4 of 10 shooting night by being perfect from the line. Loyer made all 8 of his free throws on his way to being Purdue’s second leading scorer, again, with 17 points.

He’s now made 18 of his last 19 free throw attempts and is shooting 29-34 in Big Ten play, good for 85%, the seventh best mark in the conference.

Smith Surging

He didn’t need to be told, but Zach Edey and Matt Painter both noticed how much attention Edey was getting in the pick and roll.

It allowed Smith to be what Painter has wanted him to be all season, aggressive, and looking for his shot. Smith had 10 points, but 6 of them came in the second half on 3 of 4 shooting, and they all came in response to big Michigan buckets. They all also came at the rim where Smith used his quickness and Michigan’s unwillingness to leave Edey to get to the rim.

As Painter said after the game, you have to get your lay ups and Smith created them late to keep Purdue ahead of Michigan.

[embedded content]

First Half Fight

Purdue’s defense has carried them in the Big Ten, but Michigan came out like it had Purdue’s number to start.

Purdue’s first possession saw Zach Edey get the ball in the post, one on one against Hunter Dickinson. Michigan chose to guard Edey with just Dickinson and Edey got to his left hand deep in the post for the game’s first basket.

At the other end, Dickinson did what he did to Purdue last year, stretch the court and knock down three-pointers. His first came from the top of the key and gave Michigan it’s first lead, 3-2.

Edey got another look against Dickinson on the left block and finished another left handed hook at the basket.

Michigan looked to target Edey in switches early and when Kobe Bufkin got the big man on the perimeter, he drove by him and finished with a lay up to give Michigan the lead back, 5-4.

Edey’s next basket came on a Fletcher Loyer miss where the big man swiped across the paint and deflected a ball up and off the glass from the opposite side of the paint. Purdue took back the lead, 6-5.

But Terrance Williams II got loose on a cut and Dickinson found him for an easy lay up to give the lead right back to Michigan.

Then the showcase of big men traded fouls, both questionable, with Dickinson getting Edey on a hook shot and Edey fouling Dickinson on a spin move. Edey made just one of his free throws and Dickinson made both the lay up and the free throw to give Michigan the 10-7 lead.

Purdue started to turn the ball over, with Loyer throwing it away and Bufkin ended up with free throws at the other end. He made one of two.

Next possession, Edey threw a ball away to a cutting Mason Gillis and the possession would end with an open look at the rim for Dickinson that Gillis was forced to contest hard with a foul. Dickinson would make both to extend Michigan’s lead to 13-7.

Ethan Morton would hit Purdue’s first three against a zone look from Michigan, cutting the lead to 3.

Williams would get two free throws to put Michigan up 15-10.

Braden Smith would get on the board, stabilizing Purdue’s offense by getting to the hoop. He finished a reverse lay up to pull Purdue back to down three before drawing a foul on the next possession.

Smith would make both and Purdue would cut the lead to 15-14.

Will Tschetter would hit Michigan’s second three off a pick and pop.

Trey Kaufman-Renn would start to get going for Purdue in the post, making two tough hook shots around a Dug McDaniel lay up to get the game to 20-18.

Brandon Newman’s lay up off a curl would tie the game for the Boilermakers, 20-20. David Jenkins Jr. hit Newman for the assist.

Tarris Reed Jr. would grab and offensive rebound and put it back strong with a two-handed dunk to give Michigan the 22-20 lead, but he’d give it up immediately, getting called for a technical foul for a stare down and screaming at a Purdue player after the basket.

Loyer would make two free throws to tie the game.

Then Edey would make another shot in the post to give Purdue the lead back, 24-22.

McDaniel would hit a corner three to give Michigan the lead back, and Braden Smith would be called for an offensive foul on the next possession. The freshman guard would go to the bench with two fouls, his second game in the state of Michigan where he got into early foul trouble.

Edey would take the lead back with another hook shot over Dickinson in the post.

Wolverines were winning the rebounding battle early, and another offensive rebound for Michigan would end with a mid-range jumper going for Isaiah Barnes to give them the 27-26 lead.

The next possession, Dickinson would get an offensive rebound and draw a foul on the put back, making one of two to extend the lead to two.

Another Edey hook shot would gave him 13 and tie the game up at 28.

David Jenkins Jr. would get on the board for Purdue, knocking down an open three from the wing.

An Edey hook shot and Loyer lay up in transition would give Purdue it’s largest lead of the game, and its first mini-run.

Purdue would take a 35-28 lead around the six minute mark in the first half. David Jenkins Jr. would add two more points from the line and Purdue would extend its largest lead of the game.

Dickinson would get a chance to break a scoring drought for Michigan, but he missed the front end of a one and one.

Loyer would make them pay at the other end, finishing a difficult floater on a drive off a pick and roll. Purdue would go up 39-28 and then 41-28 when Loyer stole a pass the next possession and got fouled in transition where he’d make both free throws.

But Michigan would respond with a 6-0 run to end the half after going nearly five minutes without scoring.

Bufkin would hit a lay up, Dickinson would hit a jumper from the corner, and hit two more free throws.

Purdue would end the half leading 41-35 despite going scoreless for the last 3:06 after Di.

[embedded content]

Second Half Surge

After letting a lead vanish to start the second half last game against Maryland, Purdue came out determined to get off to a strong second half start on the road.

Mason Gillis forced Baker into a turnover on the first possession, and Fletcher Loyer drained a three from the top of the arc to give Purdue the 44-35 lead.

Then Dickinson threw a pass between two Michigan perimeter players and out of bounds for another turnover. Edey capitalized by spinning to the middle of the paint and hitting a lefty hook shot to extend Purdue’s lead back into double-digits.

A Bufkin lay up over Edey at the other end gave Michigan its first points of the second half.

Ethan Morton answered with a baseline drive off a Braden Smith cross court pass.

Bufkin would then hit a pull up mid-range jumper over Morton to cut into Purdue’s lead, 48-39.

Dickinson would get a clean look again Edey in the post and hit a turn around hook from the paint.

Loyer would respond with a tough pull up, having his off balanced jumper bounce off the rim before falling to move the game to 50-41.

Smith would push it back to double-figures by driving hard, stopping, pump-faking, and then hitting an open mid-range jumper off glass.

Bufkin would continue his strong play, making a field goal, and then hitting a three after an Edey turnover to cut the lead to 52-46.

Caleb Furst would get his first point of the game making the second of two free throw attempts after drawing a foul inside on Jace Howard.

Howard would then drive past Loyer to finish at the rim to cut the lead to five.

Loyer’s two free throws would give Purdue the 55-48 lead as the game went into the under 12 timeout.

David Jenkins Jr. would bail another Purdue possession out by making a three with the shot clock expiring to give Purdue the 58-48 lead.

Edey was called for his third foul with 9:20 when he didn’t get fully set on a screen.

Joey Baker finally got a three to go for Michigan, hitting a wing three off a Dickinson pass. Dug McDaniel followed with a tough floater to cut the lead to 58-53.

Mason Gillis would get his first three to fall for Purdue to push the lead to 8.

McDaniel would hit another tough floater after a succession of passes following a Dickinson double team in the post.

Trey Kaufman-Renn would then go on a mini-run on his own for Purdue. He got the best of Dickinson one on one in the post, faking, spinning, and then finishing over the big man.

Then finishing the next possession off with a tricky finish on the roll from a Braden Smith feed with 6:28 left in the game while drawing a foul.

Purdue would lead 65-55 after TKR missed the free throw.

Baker got free for another three-pointer, beating Loyer away from the ball and bringing the game to 65-58.

Braden Smith was able to turn a rebound into transition points, attacking down court to get a clean lay up to give Purdue the 9 point lead.

Dickinson finished through Furst and Edey inside to pull it back within 7, but Edey responded with his own left-handed finish.

Purdue took a 69-60 lead into the under 4 minute timeout.

Again Michigan helped themselves with an offensive rebound, this time Bufkin got to a miss and put it back to move the game to 69-62 with less than three minutes to go.

Braden Smith would continue to get to the basket for Purdue, driving in on a pick and roll and finishing with a left-handed lay up at the rim to put Purdue back up nine with just over two minutes to play.

With a 9 point lead, possession, and about a minute to play, Purdue looked to have this one wrapped up, but Ann Arbor is never that kind to the Boilermakers.

Edey turned it over in the post and Dickinson made his third three of the game to pull within 6, 71-65 on the next possession.

Then Purdue would turn the in bounds pass over, allowing Michigan to intercept it, but a Baker three would go wide and Edey would grab a rebound and get fouled and go to the line to help ice the game for Purdue.

He’d miss the front end of a 1 and 1, giving Michigan the ball back with 20 seconds left. Baker would make a lay up and cut the lead to 71-67.

Loyer would be fouled on the next in bounds and make the first free throw with 12.6 seconds left and a now precarious two possession lead. He made the second to push the lead back to 6 points.

Michigan would call a timeout to set up a play with 12.6 seconds left, trailing 73-67.

Baker would then bank in a three after two in bounds by Michigan, giving the Wolverines a chance, down just 73-70.

They’d foul Brandon Newman and send him to the line with 5.5 seconds left. Newman would make the first to give Purdue the two possession lead again.

The second free throw would all but seal it for Purdue, and the Boilers would win 75-70.

Source