Fletcher Loyer's career night lifts third-ranked Purdue basketball past Nebraska

WEST LAFAYETTE – It was a night of milestones at Mackey Arena.

Purdue and coach Matt Painter each hit significant marks Friday night as the third-ranked Boilermakers disposed of Nebraska 73-55 to remain atop the Big Ten standings heading into Monday’s showdown at Michigan State.

Purdue sits atop the Big Ten standings with a 5-1 record, followed by the Spartans and Rutgers at 4-2.

The program registered its 1,900^th victory, the 11^th team to reach that total.

And Painter won his 400^th game at Purdue becoming the fifth coach in Big Ten history to reach that number while at a conference school. Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady and Lou Henson are the others.

The Boilermakers achieved those milestones thanks to the hot 3-point shooting from Fletcher Loyer, who scored 16 of his career-high 27 points in the first half. The freshman had 12 of Purdue’s first 15 points and waas 4 of 10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Loyer finished with six 3-pointers.

Zach Edey posted his 14th double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Braden Smith and Mason Gillis also reached double figures each scoring 10 points.

The Boilermakers swept the season series from the Huskers after winning in overtime in December.  

PDF: Purdue-Nebraska statistics

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HOT SHOOTING

Loyer and the Boilermakers knew where the openings would be after already facing Nebraska in December.

In the first meeting, Purdue wasn’t as successful from 3-point range, hitting 7 of 29 from the perimeter. On Friday, the Boilermakers took the same number of 3-pointers but made 11.

And Loyer provided the jumpstart in the first eight minutes.

“We knew all the week the defense they played sitting low on Zach, we would have a lot of kick-out shots on a lot of opportunities,” Loyer said. “Just be ready to shoot. Same with everyone else. Everyone did a good job of getting ready to shoot and Zach was very patient and did a good job of kicking it out.”

Loyer totaled 49 points in the two meetings against the Huskers, making eight 3-pointers. Loyer had seven points during Purdue’s 17-0 run from the end of the first half through the first four minutes after halftime.

From a schematic standpoint, Nebraska did nearly everything right in the two meetings. The Huskers limited Edey to 14 field goal attempts – seven in each game – and forced the Boilermakers to find their offense from other players.

But Loyer stepped up in each game and drained big shots whether they were 3-pointers, tough jumpers inside the arc, or driving to the basket.

“Our guys have gone out there and executed the game plan we’ve put in,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “One thing we did was help off the strong side – the single side twice and Loyer made us pay for it.”

PATIENCE

While Loyer will grab the headlines with his career night, Edey’s approach was vital to the success on the perimeter.

Despite not attempting a field goal until 4:41 before halftime, Edey didn’t force shots and let his teammates benefit from his patience. It’s not the first time Edey has shown this characteristic in his game but it’s starting to show up more and more as defenses look to get the ball out of his hands.

“They focused in on Zach,” Loyer said. “He did a great job of being patient and kicking it out.”

Edey’s contributions came in the rebounding department, especially on the offensive boards with a team-high seven, keeping possessions alive.

“I don’t really care how many points I get as long as we’re winning the game and I’m having a positive impact on the floor,” Edey said. “I don’t feel like I need to score the ball. I can focus my energy on other things – posting hard, focus on rebounding, playing defense and blocking shots. I’ll score the ball when I have to.”

Edey averaged 11.5 points in the two games against the Huskers but Purdue posted two wins. He’s averaging 22.6 points in his other 14 games.

400 AND 1,900

Of course, Painter downplayed his milestone moment with victory No. 400 and the elite company he now joins.

Hoiberg, though, took the opportunity to praise Painter on the accomplishment.

“He’s one of the best in the business and he does a phenomenal job of recruiting to his system,” Hoiberg said. “He learned from a great one in Gene Keady. He has these guys play with great toughness every time they step on the floor. They’re consistent. I’m happy for him but I’m not happy I’m the guy he got 400 against.”

But Painter didn’t downplay the 1,900-victory mark, a sign of consistency based on a simple philosophy as the program’s foundation.

“Purdue is a special place,” Painter said. “It’s got great people. It’s got a great education and they love basketball. I’m not saying across the board it gets this way, but they just understand if you’re playing hard and playing together. Not saying every fan at Purdue understands that but collectively they do, really more than a lot of fanbases if not all fanbases.

“That’s the one thing you’ve got to be able to do. You’ve got to play together, play the right way, and play hard. If you do that, they’ll appreciate that. They love that. They understand that piece of basketball.”