No. 2 Purdue overcomes second-half deficit, pulls away from Minnesota

Maybe that technical foul wasn’t a good idea for Ben Johnson.

It didn’t help Minnesota. It certainly spurred Purdue.

The second-ranked Boilermakers were flat midway through the first half, playing an uninspiring brand of basketball as the Golden Gophers had taken control of Thursday night’s matchup at Mackey Arena.

But Johnson, who was upset Zach Edey wasn’t called for a foul early in the second half, received a technical foul with 18:56 on the clock. Although Fletcher Loyer missed 1 of 2 free throws, Johnson’s words and actions provided a spark.

From there, the Boilermakers turned the game in their favor and posted an 84-76 victory to maintain their two-game lead in the Big Ten standings.

PDF: Purdue-Minnesota stats

More: Analysis | Wrap Video | Stat Blast | Gallery | Pod | Final Thoughts

Purdue scored six straight points after the technical but still had to weather Minnesota’s torrid shooting from 3-point range. But the Boilermakers were also solid from beyond the arc, hitting nearly 50%, and they were able to capitalize once the Gophers went cold.

Purdue didn’t run away from Minnesota after the technical but was able to dictate terms and play with the lead during the final 12 minutes. Give the Gophers credit for staying connected to the Boilermakers for as long as possible.

It’s the second straight game the Gophers held a double-digit lead on the road and lost. They built a 20-point advantage at Iowa on Sunday, but the Hawkeyes stormed back to win by five.

Purdue was forced to play several minutes without Edey, who battled foul trouble. But Caleb Furst delivered solid minutes off the bench and Mason Gillis was strong in his reserve role, hitting four 3-pointers, including one with 2:17 to play that pushed the lead to 79-71. Gillis finished with 14 points.

Once Edey picked up two fouls in the first half, Purdue lost its offensive rhythm. That opened the door for Minnesota to drain 3-pointer after 3-pointer, hitting five and outscoring the Boilermakers 19-3 before halftime.

Edey totaled 24 points and 15 rebounds and Braden Smith flirted with another triple-double, finishing with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Lance Jones added 12 points.

Dawson Garica had 24 points for the Gophers, who were 12 of 25 from 3-point range.

MOMENTUM SHIFT?

Of course, Johnson downplayed his technical foul and the spark it gave the Boilermakers early in the second half.

But the results are what they are. Purdue pulled itself back into the game – and the sellout crowd seized the opportunity to raise the decibel level – and overwhelm the Gophers in the moment.

“We’ve been in a lot of games where there’s been a flagrant technical or something and I think almost every single time, it’s flipped the switch and flipped the momentum for the team shooting the technical shots,” Gillis said.

“I don’t know necessarily what it did to us. At that time, we were starting to get going and that helped us get that little extra push we needed.”

The sellout crowd was looking for anything to ignite the struggling Boilermakers, who were in danger of falling deeper into a hole. Johnson lit the match.  

“I just think it got the crowd back unto the game, which anybody can do what they want but I wouldn’t mess around giving our crowd anything,” said senior Ethan Morton, who helped defend Cam Christie.

The Gophers didn’t fold, despite trailing by 10 and clawing back to pull within 73-71 with 4:16 to play.

“It was early. I don’t know,” Johnson said of the technical foul. “We knew either way, they were going to make a run at some point. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. I thought we were able to keep our poise and climb back in the game.”

“WE GOT THIS”

Why was Purdue better in the second half?

Only three turnovers.

The Boilermakers had seven in the first half, allowing Minnesota to pounce on the mistakes and use its transition game to find open 3-point shooters. But Matt Painter’s team straightened out its turnover issue, leading to improved offense, allowing Purdue to set its defense more often and outscored Minnesota 49-33 after halftime.

The Gophers scored 16 points off turnovers, but Purdue totaled 16 second-chance points to even out the numbers.

“Can’t rebound your turnover,” Painter said. “In the first half, we had seven turnovers. Just give us a chance to rebound. Take good shots and give us a chance to rebound. When you turn the basketball over, you don’t give us that chance. You absolutely kill us. That gets said countless times to our guys.”

The Boilermakers faced their largest deficit since the Nebraska loss on Jan. 9. But they’ve dealt with adverse moments throughout the season. Whether it’s trailing at halftime twice in Hawaii or playing without Edey for the last eight minutes of the first half against Illinois, this group leans on its past experiences to figure it out.

“I thought it was a good test for us,” Morton said. “We talked about it at halftime and after the game, we haven’t been in that position for a while or a lot this year. Obviously, you don’t want to be there, but we responded well but not surprised. Everybody in the locker room has been through it.”

The Boilermakers remained patient and didn’t try to make up the deficit with one sequence. They slowed down on offense, ran through their sets and usually found Edey one-on-one inside.

“It’s as simple as doing our job,” Gillis said. “What Ethan said: Everybody has been through a similar situation, maybe not exactly down 10. We’re experienced in different situations. When we look at each other and say, ‘We’ve got this.’ We believe we have confidence in each other.”

FURST’S BIG MINUTES

When Edey picked up his second foul seven minutes into the game, Purdue led 16-11.

Enter Furst, who provided a bridge until Edey was able to return later in the first half. The junior played eight minutes and scored five points and grabbed two rebounds before Edey came back with 7:42 left before halftime.

Furst played 11 minutes, equaling his most time on the court since Jan. 23 against Michigan. He was part of a bench that produced 20 points.

“I thought he did a really good job in the first half,” Painter said. “He was active, did some good things defensively and scored. Gave us some energy, gave us some confidence as a team. When he goes to the bench, and you can have some good things happen, it’s definitely a positive for us. I thought he was ready to play.”