Purdue hoops edges Marquette to win Maui Invitational
Purdue came out of the Maui Invitational as a champion after beating Marquette 78-75 on Wednesday.
Zach Edey and Braden Smith were the team’s leading scorers with 28 and 18 points. Edey went 11-of-19 from the floor and hit 6-of-9 free throws and also had 15 rebounds. Edey sealed the win with a tip in following a 3-point attempt from Smith.
The tip from @zach_edey that sealed @BoilerBall‘s first @MauiInv title and secured their first ever top-5 matchup win. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/jgrdjcvQ8j
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 23, 2023
Smith made 7-of-11 field goals and had 5 assists and rebounds.
While Edey and Smith both had good games, Lance Jones’ halftime buzzer beater stole the show. With time running out in the 1st half, Jones hurled the basketball from the Boilermakers’ side of the court to make it 45-33 heading into the 2nd half.
LANCE JONES BEATS THE HALFTIME BUZZER FROM THE OTHER END OF THE COURT FOR @BoilerBall 😱 pic.twitter.com/5aFQ4X65fQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 22, 2023
Purdue ended up shooting 50.8% from the floor as a team. The Boilermakers also hit 47.6% of their 3-pointers. One area where the team struggled was turnovers. Purdue had 15 turnovers to Marquette’s 9.
The win over Marquette gives Purdue a 6-0 start to the year. Before Wednesday’s final, Purdue had to beat No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 7 Tennessee. The Boilermakers did just that to earn the right to play in the Maui Invitational Championship.
The No. 2 overall team in the country has played up to its ranking so far. The Boilermakers returned a lot of talent after winning the B1G title a season ago and still look dominant as ever.
Purdue heads back home to play Texas Southern on Nov. 28. Tipoff will be at 8:30 p.m. ET on B1G Network.