Zach Edey returned to No. 1 Purdue’s starting lineup and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the host Boilermakers to a comfortable 82-49 victory over Florida A&M on Thursday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
Edey, who missed Purdue’s previous game with an illness, recorded his 10th double-double of the season despite playing only 22 minutes.
Brandon Newman scored a game-high 18 points and blocked five shots, and Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Caleb Furst also had 10 points and six rebounds.
Purdue (13-0) cruised in its nonconference finale before it enters Big Ten Conference play for good next week as the top-ranked team in the nation. The Boilermakers are the conference’s first team to hold that distinction in two consecutive seasons since Indiana (1974-75, 1975-76).
Purdue played like the country’s No. 1 team against an overmatched Florida A&M (2-9), which lost its third game in a row and final nonconference game before it begins Southwestern Athletic Conference competition.
The Rattlers were led by Dimingus Stevens and Jordan Tillmon with eight points apiece, as they finished a tough early-season slate that included games against eight power-conference opponents and three ranked teams.
Purdue made it difficult on Florida A&M on the offensive end almost wire-to-wire, holding the Rattlers to 31.5 percent shooting overall (17 for 54), and used its size to outrebound the Rattlers 43-25. The Boilermakers turned 13 Florida A&M turnovers into 22 points and held the Rattlers without a double-digit scorer.
Florida A&M pulled to within 11 points just before halftime on an alley-oop dunk by Jaylen Bates on a fast break.
Edey ended the half with a pair of free throws and opened the second half by helping the Boilermakers score the first eight points after the break, stretching the lead to 50-29.
–Field Level Media
