BASKETBALL

Purdue basketball dominates at Iowa to extend nation's best winning streak to 15

Carsen Edwards and Vincent Edwards again had big days as the No. 3 Boilermakers eased to an 87-64 victory.

Nathan Baird
Journal & Courier
  • Carsen Edwards scored 22 points with a career-high seven assists and no turnovers.
  • Purdue's 20 3-pointers broke the program's single-game record set earlier this season.
  • Vincent Edwards scored 19 points and Purdue led 51-20 at halftime.
  • Thursday's game: Michigan at No. 3 Purdue, 7 p.m., ESPN

IOWA CITY, Iowa — It began at tipoff, when Purdue’s Carsen Edwards thrust himself into a crowd to knock the opening possession to Isaac Haas.

Dakota Mathias took the cue, tussling for rebounds under the basket and ripping them out of Iowa hands. P.J. Thompson, all 5-10 of him, out-jumped a Hawkeye for a ball thrown back into play.

The No. 3 Boilermakers brought a significant talent advantage into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday afternoon. Yet their effort in spite of that disparity fueled the paralyzing dominance of Purdue’s first half en route to an 87-64 undoing of Iowa.

After losing consecutive games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Purdue spoke of needing more effort and grit to pull through close games. Saturday's victory — its first at Iowa since 2011 — showed how much those intangibles are also present in blowouts.

The Boilermakers showed up with their foot on the gas and never took it off. By halftime, Purdue led 51-20 and Iowa could no longer see the tail lights.

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"Coach preaches play the same way, whether we're up 30 or down five," Thompson said. "We always want to play the same way and get better. If we're getting better, not a lot of teams can beat us."

Purdue extended its nation-best winning streak to 15 games and improved to 8-0 to keep pace with Ohio State atop the Big ten Conference standings.

Carsen Edwards scored 22 points while hitting six of Purdue's program record-breaking 20 3-pointers. However, he also collected eight assists without committing a turnover. The best version of this team likely hinged on the sophomore's efficiency, and recent results have proven it.

Vincent Edwards scored 19 — one point shy of his fifth 20-point effort in seven games. Mathias, who had five assists, and P.J. Thompson hit four 3-pointers apiece.

Yet the offensive theatrics stemmed from the stingy, physical attitude on defense. Purdue turned Iowa's seven first-half turnovers into 16 points. Iowa shot 25 percent from the field in the first half, and when it couldn't make a shot and set its defense, the Boilermakers thrived.

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"If our first priority is defense, the offense will just come," Carsen Edwards said. "If we can get those sort of plays and be first to the loose balls and everything like that, I feel like that sets a tone."

Purdue’s guards are known primarily for their 3-point prowess. They displayed that marksmanship again Saturday, hitting 11 of 12 in one stretch of the first half and four straight to begin the second.

Ryan Cline's 3 with 5:35 to play was the Boilermakers' 19th — tying the single-game mark set earlier this season against Fairfield. With 1:50 left, he hit another to break the record.

The Boilermakers won that Nov. 18 game, at Mackey Arena, by 42. Saturday's matchup at times seemed just as lopsided as a non-conference "buy" game. That may reflect somewhat on a young Iowa team searching for an identity.

It certainly reflects on Purdue, which has not lost since Thanksgiving and has begun to turn Big Ten matchups into laughers. Since a one-point victory at Michigan on Jan. 9, Purdue has beaten Minnesota, Wisconsin and now Iowa by a combined 85 points.

"I think it's hard when they have that many seniors who all want to be recognized and play unselfishly. That's impressive," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said.

"... We got outplayed by a really good team. They've been doing it to everybody."

Senior center Isaac Haas — a 7-2, 290-pound wall of frustration for opposing defenders — attempted only one shot in the first 30 minutes. Like other teams, the Hawkeyes gave help defense on Haas. Purdue played several minutes before he even received his first post touch.

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Purdue still flattened the Hawkeyes.

Early road tipoffs are supposed to serve as fertile ground for upsets. An otherwise undermanned team catches a road-weary opponent unprepared and feeds off of the familiar setting and energized crowd to win.

Iowa also had emotion on its side, The program billed Saturday as the Chris Street Memorial Game, remembering the former Hawkeye who died in a car accident 25 years ago. Street and Matt Painter became friends after playing together on a Big Ten tour of Europe in 1992.

Purdue took the crowd out of Saturday's game with an early 18-0 run and stayed on the attack throughout a punishing first half. Then it made its first four 3-pointers coming out of halftime — the first three from Thompson.

As usual, the Boilermakers' inflated 3-point total came with an inflated assists total: 23. 

"We're much better when we just take whatever they give us and play off of our instincts," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "We have some guys that can shoot, but we have guys who can pass the basketball." 

When Carsen Edwards missed a 3 late in the first half, ending that 11-for-12 run from the perimeter, the crowd in Iowa City responded with a Bronx cheer. 

Seconds later, Vincent Edwards surged from behind the Iowa fast break to block Cordell Pemsl's layup from behind. This time the crowd made another sound. Even the Hawkeye faithful were impressed by what the Boilermakers were doing on the court. 

"So what if we're up 20-25 points at that point? Let's not give up," Vincent Edwards said. "It doesn't matter what the score is — nothing's easy."