Zach Edey posted 24 points and 16 rebounds as No. 3 Purdue slipped past Maryland 58-55 in Big Ten action Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Braden Smith made two free throws with 3.9 seconds left, and Jahmir Young’s desperation 30-footer at the buzzer was off the mark as the Boilermakers (19-1, 8-1) notched their sixth straight win.
Purdue never trailed but had to hold off the Terrapins, as Edey was the only Boilermaker to score from the floor in the final 15 minutes.
Purdue had leads of 16 points in the first half and 12 points with 15 minutes left before Maryland eventually whittled the deficit to one. But in the final 3:47, the Terrapins missed their final seven field-goal attempts.
Battling foul trouble and the 7-foot-4 Edey inside, Julian Reese led Maryland (12-7, 3-5) with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Hakim Hart added 11 points and five rebounds.
Purdue held Jahmir Young, Maryland’s top scorer, without a point for the first 25 minutes. He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Young missed his first eight shots from the floor and finished 4 of 18 overall, missing all six of his 3-point attempts. Maryland shot 37.3 percent and made just 3 of 21 from beyond the arc (14.3 percent).
Purdue gave Maryland plenty of chances as it went cold down the stretch, but the only points the Terps scored in the final 3:47 were two free throws from Young with 5.3 seconds to go, which made it 56-55.
Purdue strengthened its hold on first place in the conference, where every other team has at least three league losses. This is the Boilermakers’ best start through 20 games in program history.
Purdue started hot, making 11 of its first 16 shots to take a 27-11 lead. But after that the Boilermakers made just 9 of 36 shots (25 percent) the rest of the way, with Edey accounting for seven of the field goals. He was the only Purdue player in double figures.
–Field Level Media
