Top-ranked Purdue basketball holds off Davidson to remain unbeaten

INDIANAPOLIS – Over the last two games, Purdue has found itself in a pair of battles that have gone down to the wire.

Last week, it was an overtime win at Nebraska.

Saturday, it was a major tussle with Davidson.

The Boilermakers survived again, outlasting the Wildcats 69-61 in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, playing their first game this season as the No. 1 team in the nation

Another double double from Zach Edey helped Purdue overcome another poor perimeter shooting performance. Edey totaled 29 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Boilermakers keep the Wildcats from taking over the game. The 7-foot-4 junior also scored his 1,000 career point and blocked his 100th career shot.

The big contribution came from Caleb Furst, who scored 12 second-half points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Freshman Braden Smith pulled down a season-best 12 rebounds as Purdue improved to 11-0. Smith added 10 points.

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FURST SHINES

Searching a spark to start the second half, Furst provided one.

The first four minutes after halftime belonged to the sophomore forward/center, who scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds as the Boilermakers tried to breakaway from the Wildcats.

“He was great today,” Purdue junior Ethan Morton said. “Just the energy that he brings getting on the glass and whether he’s making 3s or not, I always tell him to shoot them, whether they feel good or not. Him being a threat to shoot is going to open things up even more.”

By the midway point of the second half, Furst already had a double double. His hustle was highlighted on the boards, forcing a jump ball following a miss by Fletcher Loyer to bring his energy into the equation.

“When I play, my main focus is always just to play with joy and I think at halftime that’s what I focused on,” Furst said. “Just go out there and have fun. We get to play the game we love and it doesn’t get better than that.”

Furst stepped up late in the game, keeping Purdue’s possession alive leading to a Smith jumper and a 60-54 lead by the Boilermakers. Furst forced a steal on the next defensive possession, which paved the way for two Fletcher Loyer free throws and an eight-point advantage with 1:51 to play.

UGLY SHOOTING

For the second straight game, the struggles from the 3-point line continued.

Purdue was 3 of 22 from beyond the arc with eight minutes to play and finished 3 of 25. This comes after the 7 of 29 performance at Nebraska in the last game, one the Boilermakers had to win overtime.

“We’re not stressed about that,” said Morton, who had one of the three made 3-pointers. “We could shoot like that the rest of the year, I don’t think we’re going to stress. We know the guys in the room put in the work and it’s easier to say that after a win. When you’re getting open looks and you have a bunch of guys that can shoot, you know the shots are going to fall.”

Both the Cornhuskers and Davidson doubled Edey in the post, forcing passes to the perimeter. The looks were there. They’re not going down right now.

“Going 3 for 25 from three and having the 3-point shooters that we do is frustrating,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Our guys put in a lot of time shooting the basketball and a lot of them are here because they can shoot the basketball. The last couple of games, that’s been frustrating, but I have all the confidence in the world in the people that take three’s for us. We have to keep working at it.”

The work will need to continue because New Orleans, Florida A&M and the rest of the Big Ten are going to defend the Boilermakers the same way until the shots start falling.

“This was good for us,” Painter said. “They’re good in the way they scheme and do things and if we’re not able to make a shot, why should they change what they do?

“People aren’t going to change. They’re going to make us prove some things and I thought we had some resolve tonight. I thought we hung in there and did some other things besides shoot the basketball well.”

LOYER vs. LOYER

With the family dressed in “Loyer Up” shirts sitting behind the Davidson bench, Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer was ready to steal the brother vs. brother matchup. Fletcher scored the first five points, and the Boilermakers were on their way to a 9-0 lead and an easy victory. It wasn’t easy.

Fletcher finished with 14 points, hitting pair of free throws to give the Boilermakers 66-57 lead with 1:00 left.

Foster Loyer started slow but had nine points in the first half while his younger brother cooled off after the quick start. Fletcher missed his five attempts and never got on track. Morton was responsible for guarding the older Loyer most of the game and was able to deliver a key block with 1:06 to play and Purdue holding a seven-point lead.

“It was a nice moment to have it then,” Morton said. “I wish I could’ve grabbed the rebound or somebody could’ve grabbed it because they ended up getting a shot. He’s a great player. We had a ton of respect for him coming into the game and the whole team in general.”

Foster, though, handed out 10 assists to overcome 4 of 16 shooting night. He had 11 points.

Morton was somewhat prepared to face Foster after guarding Fletcher throughout most of the summer.

“I was chasing Fletcher a lot this summer and that probably helped me a little bit,” Morton said. “Both are unbelievable players.”