WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Zach Edey overcame a slow start with 24 points and 15 rebounds as No. 2 Purdue rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Minnesota 84-76 on Thursday night.
The Boilermakers (23-2, 12-2 Big Ten), who trailed by 10 after the opening possession of the second half, turned to their 7-foot-4 senior All-American center to help lead the comeback. The reigning national player of the year shook off 3-of-9 shooting in the first half by moving closer to the basket with three dunks, the last slam pushing Purdue ahead 57-55 with 12:27 remaining.
"Just throw it inside. Just use him," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "They know we have him and he's going to keep working. ... I've watched him dominate games for four years now.
"But you're not going to have success if you don't defend. If we weren't going to be better defensively, we weren't going to win the game."
Point guard Braden Smith had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Purdue, which improved to 43-3 at home in the last three years, including 7-0 in Big Ten play this season.
"That's who we are as a team — we stick together," Smith said.
Mason Gillis hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Lance Jones added 12 for Purdue.
"We're experienced in different situations," Gillis said, referring to the halftime deficit. "When we look at each other and say, 'We got this,' we believe that and have confidence in each other."
The Gophers (15-9, 6-7) stunned Purdue early by going 9 of 16 on 3-pointers in the first half. Four different shooters hit 3s during a 19-3 run.
"Our decision-making just wasn't very good in the first half and our attention to detail on defense wasn't very good," Painter said. "They're a tough cover."
But then Minnesota went just 3 of 9 from long range in the second half.
"We're growing and we're battle-tested," Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said. "We can compete with anyone in the conference. We just have that one more step to take to be in the top half of the Big Ten."
Despite a roster with only three seniors, Johnson's resurgent squad has improved dramatically from 9-22 last season. But the Gophers lack a signature road win in conference play, dropping to 2-5 in Big Ten away games.
Dawson Garcia led the Gophers with 24 points, including three 3s. Mike Mitchell Jr. scored 14 with four 3-pointers. Cam Christie finished with 13 points, the freshman's fourth consecutive double-digit game. He also hit three 3s.
"They're going in the right direction," Painter said of the Gophers. "They should feel good about where they are."
BIG PICTURE
Minnesota: The Gophers showed they can play with one of the best teams in the country, albeit for one half. But when the 3-point shooting cooled off, so did Minnesota. This team has scoring balance and could be dangerous at tournament time, presuming it can shoot well consistently.
Purdue: What looked easy in the opening minutes proved anything but as the Boilermakers were visibly frustrated at times. But the second half was a reminder why these Boilermakers are not going to rattle when facing adversity. This team seems much better equipped for the NCAA Tournament than the No. 1 seed that was stunned in the opening round a year ago.
UP NEXT
Minnesota: Will host Rutgers on Sunday.
Purdue: Plays at Ohio State on Sunday.
BOX SCORE
MINNESOTA (15-9)
Garcia 7-12 7-8 24, Payne 4-8 0-2 8, Christie 5-11 0-0 13, Hawkins 1-8 2-2 5, Mitchell 4-13 2-2 14, Carrington 1-2 0-0 3, Fox 2-2 1-2 5, Ola-Joseph 1-2 0-0 2, Wilson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-59 12-16 76.
PURDUE (23-2)
Kaufman-Renn 3-7 2-6 9, Edey 8-18 8-14 24, Jones 4-9 2-2 12, Loyer 1-5 1-3 3, Smith 5-7 4-4 16, Gillis 5-9 0-0 14, Morton 0-1 0-0 0, C.Furst 2-2 2-3 6, Colvin 0-0 0-0 0, Heide 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 19-32 84.
Halftime: Minnesota 43-35
3-Point Goals: Minnesota 12-25 (Mitchell 4-8, Christie 3-5, Garcia 3-5, Carrington 1-1, Hawkins 1-5, Payne 0-1), Purdue 9-19 (Gillis 4-8, Smith 2-2, Jones 2-6, Kaufman-Renn 1-2, Loyer 0-1)
Fouled Out: Garcia, Payne.
Rebounds: Minnesota 25 (Payne 5), Purdue 42 (Edey 15)
Assists: Minnesota 19 (Hawkins 7), Purdue 21 (Smith 9)
Total Fouls: Minnesota 20, Purdue 13
Attendance: 14,876 (14,846).