Freshman Fletcher Loyer scored 17 points and Brandon Newman added 16 as Purdue rolled to an 84-53 nonconference victory over visiting Milwaukee on Tuesday night in the Boilermakers’ season opener in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue scored the final 10 points of the first half for a 39-20 lead, then broke the game open with a 16-2 run to open the second half, going in front 55-22 on a 3-pointer by Loyer.
Loyer, a 6-foot-4 guard, hit 5 of 12 from beyond the arc, including 4 of 7 in a 14-point second half, as Purdue hit 12 of 34 3-pointers.
Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4 junior center, added 12 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and six blocks to pace the Boilermakers to a 52-34 advantage on the boards. Purdue had a 20-9 edge on the offensive glass, leading to 19 second-chance points.
Braden Smith had seven steals, the most by a freshman in Purdue school history, as the Panthers committed 21 turnovers — leading to 14 points for the Boilermakers.
BJ Freeman had 19 points and Ahmad Rand added 10 on 5-of-5 shooting for Milwaukee, which made just 3 of 19 3-point attempts.
Purdue also had an overwhelming advantage at the free-throw line, making 18 of 22, while the Panthers made just 4 of 9.
Purdue hit just two of its first 15 shots, but an 8-0 run capped by Edey’s dunk put the Boilermakers up 24-12 with 7:46 left in the first half.
Two free throws by Freeman brought Milwaukee within 29-20 with 4:25 remaining in the half, but the Panthers failed to score the rest of the way, missing their final six shots and committing three turnovers.
Milwaukee was 9 for 29 from the floor in the first half, while the Boilermakers were 10 for 32. But Purdue had five 3-pointers while the Panthers were 0 for 9 from beyond the arc, and the Boilermakers had a 14-2 advantage from the free-throw line.
The Panthers (1-1) opened with a 102-46 rout of outmanned Milwaukee School of Engineering, an NCAA Division III program, on Monday.
–Field Level Media