WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Jaden Ivey scored 25 points, Zach Edey added 15 points and No. 5 Purdue beat Rutgers 84-72 Sunday, ending the Scarlet Knights' recent run of success against ranked teams.
Rutgers had won its last four games, all against teams in the Top 25. The Scarlet Knights also had beaten Purdue in December.
The Boilermakers stopped the string as Ivey did much of his scoring at the line, hitting 15 of 18 free throws. Trevion Williams and Sasha Stefanovic each scored 11 points and Mason Gillis 10 points for Purdue (24-4, 13-4 Big Ten).
Paul Mulcahy scored 15, Clifford Omoruyi added 14 and Ron Harper Jr. had 13 points for Rutgers (16-10, 10-6).
The Boilermakers closed the first half with a 9-1 run to take a 45-36 lead, then opened the second half by scoring the first 11 points. Purdue held Rutgers scoreless for nearly five minutes in pushing the lead to 56-36.
For the game, Purdue shot 53% while Rutgers shot 51%. The big difference was Purdue had a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers. The Boilermakers also made 24 of 29 free throws to Rutgers' 13 of 17.
BIG PICTURE
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights saw their string of four consecutive victories over ranked opponents end — they beat Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois during that streak. Despite some disappointing non-conference losses, Rutgers has put itself back on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Rutgers had upset then-No. 1 Purdue 70-68 on Dec. 9 as Harper sank a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Purdue: The Boilermakers moved a half-game ahead of Wisconsin (12-4) and Illinois (12-4) in the Big Ten standings. The Boilermakers close with road games at Michigan State and Wisconsin and home against Indiana.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
With No. 2 Auburn losing to unranked Florida and No. 4 Kentucky losing to No. 16 Tennessee, No. 5 Purdue could move up in the rankings with two victories on the week.
UP NEXT
Rutgers: At Michigan on Wednesday.
Purdue: At Michigan State on Saturday.
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