Purdue vs. Penn State player ratings: Zach Edey masterpiece dooms Nittany Lions
Back in the friendly confines of Mackey Arena, No. 1 Purdue was an inhospitable host to Penn State on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers (15-2, 4-2) bludgeoned the Nittany Lions (8-9, 2-4) behind a heavy dose of Zach Edey and scorching-hot shooting from behind the arc.
Purdue used a 27-2 run to post its highest-scoring first half of the season (56) and coasted the rest of the way in a 95-78 win.
More: Purdue, Zach Edey bounce back in dominant win over Penn State
Player ratings on a scale of 0 to 10.
STARTERS
∎ Zach Edey — A perfect first half for the All-American (6-of-6 from field) with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. At times, the Nittany Lions triple-teamed him, and it still didn't work as Edey passed out to open shooters. He was utterly dominant Saturday, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting (also 10-of-14 from free-throw line) and 20 rebounds. This was Edey's first 30-20 game since going for 31 points and 22 rebounds vs. Minnesota Dec. 4, 2022. Per Purdue's stats crew, Edey is just the third player since 2010-11 to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a game. Rating: 10.0
∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn — He hit the deck for an early offensive rebound that turned into a Lance Jones 3. But it was overall a pretty quiet game for TKR. He finished with five points and two rebounds and actually was a -1 in +/-. Rating: 5.5
∎ Lance Jones — He hit two 3s in the opening minutes and finished with 14 points (second-most on the team). He added four rebounds and four assists. He's been such a welcomed addition for the Boilers. Rating: 7.5
∎ Fletcher Loyer — He had a nice 90-second stretch in the first half where he connected on a soft lob to Edey on a breakout, then drilled a 3 off an inbounds pass and then added a nice take and curl for a layup. He finished with 11 points, three assists and zero turnovers. Rating: 6.5
∎ Braden Smith — He tied his season-high with 11 assists (Morehead State, Nov. 10) and was just pulling the strings as the Boilermakers' offense was a well-oiled machine. He only scored six points, but he controlled the game. Rating: 8.5
RESERVES
∎ Cam Heide — Coming off a career-high 22 minutes at Nebraska, Heide has hit a 3-pointer in five straight games. He hit two vs. Penn State and provides plenty of athleticism to Purdue's second unit. You could see his role expanding soon. Rating: 7.0
∎ Mason Gillis — Purdue's glue man added two more made 3s (including one on a four-point play) and is now shooting 13-of-25 (52%) from behind the arc in his past six games. In his 18 minutes, Gillis was an astounding team-high +30. Rating: 8.0
∎ Ethan Morton — He didn't score (or take a shot for that matter), but he was +16 in 16 minutes (fourth-best on the team). Rating: 6.0
∎ Caleb Furst — He scored a season-high seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with three rebounds, including a few offensive boards. Defensively, there are still some things to iron out (he was a team-worst -16). Rating: 5.0
∎ Myles Colvin — The freshman hadn't scored in his past two games (both 3-minute cameos), but he came in Saturday and almost immediately nailed a fadeaway jumper. He added a nice drop off pass to TKR for a layup and then pump faked a defender and drilled a 3 (his first make from deep since Dec. 21). He added a nice euro-step finish in transition late and finished with seven points. He's still chasing a bit too much on defense and had two turnovers, but he's a freshman, he gets some leeway. Rating: 7.0
∎ Will Berg — Grabbed a rebound to Mackey cheers in his two minutes late. Rating: N/A
∎ Brian Waddell — Played two minutes late as Matt Painter emptied his bench. Rating: N/A
∎ Carson Barrett — A freshly minted scholarship player, Barrett got a minute of PT. Rating: N/A
∎ Chase Martin — A final minute cameo. Rating: N/A
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs. Penn State player ratings: Zach Edey almost perfect
