No. 2 Purdue comes back to beat No. 11 Gonzaga in Maui opener

Field Level Media|published: Mon 20th November, 19:10 2023

Nov 20, 2023; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) shoots while being defended by Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33) during the first half at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. credits: Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Edey had game-high totals of 25 points and 14 rebounds as No. 2 Purdue put together a second-half rally to defeat No. 11 Gonzaga 73-63 Monday afternoon in the opening round of the Maui Invitational in Honolulu.

Lance Jones and Braden Smith each scored 13 points, with Smith adding six assists for the Boilermakers (4-0), who trailed by as many as nine points before intermission.

Purdue is scheduled to play No. 7 Tennessee in a semifinal matchup Tuesday, with Gonzaga facing Syracuse in a consolation game.

Graham Ike led the Bulldogs (2-1) with 14 points and seven rebounds, but battled foul trouble while trying to match up with Edey. Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard each added 11 points for Gonzaga, with Nembhard dishing out six assists.

The Boilermakers outscored Gonzaga 43-28 in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to 0-for-13 shooting from beyond the 3-point line.

Purdue used an 8-0 run to take a 48-43 lead on Camden Heide's alley-oop dunk with 12:01 remaining. Edey opened the run with a second-chance layup and got a dunk off a rebound with 14:53 left to give Purdue the lead for good.

Gonzaga never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs took a 35-30 lead after a first half that featured several runs.

Purdue scored the game's first six points, on two Edey hook shots in the lane and a driving layup by Lance Jones, before Gonzaga scored 14 in a row. Ike sparked that run with a second-chance 3-pointer, then added a dunk and a hook shot of his own in the lane. Hickman had a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper.

The Bulldogs built a 33-24 advantage with 2:42 left on a 3-pointer by Dusty Stromer.

The Boilermakers responded with another 6-0 run — on a layup and four three throws by Edey — before Stromer finished the half with a back-door layup off a pass from Hickman.

Edey was limited to 4-of-11 shooting from the field in the half, but he converted 7 of 8 free throws to score 15 points. Ike scored 10 for Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs were 6-of-19 from 3-point range in the first half.

—Field Level Media

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