Guard play leads No. 15 Purdue to 89-67 romp over Iowa (Dec 28, 2016)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Freshman guard Carsen Edwards scored 19 points and Dakota Mathias added 17 as No. 15 Purdue dominated Iowa 89-67 on Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
It was the seventh consecutive victory for the Boilermakers (12-2, 1-0), who also got 16 points from Isaac Haas, 15 from Vince Edwards and 11 points and 10 rebounds from Caleb Swanigan, who recorded his fifth consecutive double-double.
Big Ten scoring leader Peter Jok of Iowa, who came in averaging 22.6 points, was held to 13 on 4-of-15 shooting, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Mathias was the primary defender on Jok.
It was Purdue coach Matt Painter's 250th victory at his alma mater. Painter is in his 12th season with the Boilermakers, who lost to Iowa twice last season.
Mathias scored 16 first-half points, and Carsen Edwards added 10 as Purdue raced to an 8-0 lead and then built a commanding 49-25 halftime advantage, shooting 55.9 percent from the field, including 58.8 percent from 3-point range (10 of 17).
Jok was held to two first-half points on 1-of-6 shooting. Iowa shot only 31.3 percent in the first half (10 of 32), including missing all seven 3-point attempts.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: The Hawkeyes certainly did not look like a team that had won five in a row. They limited the 6-foot-9 Swanigan and the 7-2 Haas to two first-half points each but found themselves trailing by 24 points after only 20 minutes and by 31 with 12:27 remaining.
Purdue: The Boilermakers received terrific guard play from Mathias and Carsen Edwards and were deadly from beyond the arc with Iowa focusing its defense on the low post. Once Swanigan and Haas got more involved in the second half, Purdue looked like a team that will challenge for the Big Ten championship.
UP NEXT
Iowa: The Hawkeyes will host Michigan on Jan. 1.
Purdue: The Boilermakers will host Minnesota on Jan. 1.
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