The Iowa Hawkeyes (16-9, 7-6) said, “Zach Edey isn’t going to beat us tonight” and the smallest man on the court, Braden Smith, built a hill to high for the Hawkeyes to climb in a 87-73 win for the #1 Purdue Boilermakers (23-2, 12-2).
The Hawks struggled to get anything going in the first half as Edey’s size around the rim kept them tentative and shots which fell on Saturday against Illinois didn’t carry over to tonight. The Hawks started 0/4 from midrange as Purdue built a 19-4 lead behind Smith & company.
The freshman guard had 10 first half points on just 3/4 shooting while forwards Mason Gillis & Caleb Furst combined for 15 with 3 threes on 5 attempts.