In a closely contested NCAA basketball game, Rutgers struggled against No. 2 ranked Purdue, trailing 33-20 at halftime with a shooting percentage of just 26% from the floor and 0-8 from three-point range. Despite this, Rutgers managed to stay in the game thanks to 9 second chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds. Purdue, on the other hand, shot 50% from the field but was hampered by 8 turnovers. Purdue's Zach Edey scored 10 points on 4/7 shooting in the first half, while Braden Smith contributed with efficient shooting and 3 rebounds. Rutgers committed 7 turnovers in the first half. In the second half, Rutgers made a significant comeback, cutting the Purdue lead to 45-40, with a notable performance from bench players Jamichael Davis and Gavin Griffiths, who played 17 minutes. Rutgers continued to narrow the gap, bringing the score to 57-53 with less than four minutes to play. Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, continued his strong performance with 21 points on 8/11 shooting, despite being challenged by Rutgers' defense. Austin Williams of Rutgers picked up his fourth foul with 10:31 remaining in the game.
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Steve Pikiell calls timeout as a 7-1 run puts Purdue up 9 points with 2:08 remaining.
Gavin Griffiths has played 17 minutes and just checked in with 3:27 to play. Steve Pikiell is trusting his struggling freshman in crunch time.
Rutgers trails No. 2 Purdue by 4 points at the U4 timeout. Active on both ends of the floor need to keep energy up. Cliff heads to the line after Edey picks up third foul. Penetration can set up open looks RU has to make to win.
U4: Purdue 57, Rutgers 53. Cliff Omoruyi will shoot two free throws after the media timeout. Behind an offensive explosion, Rutgers has cut its deficit to one possession multiple times. It has 3:48 remaining to complete the comeback and pull off a third consecutive stunner.
We all know what happened last time Ron Harper Jr. was home against Purdue.... 👀 @RutgersMBB https://t.co/rQ8Xt2O0uT
U8: Purdue 52, Rutgers 48. Rutgers cut its deficit to 2 points, but Zach Edey immediately responds with a dunk while being fouled. The reigning National Player of the Year (21 points on 8/11 shooting, 5/8 on free throws) has been borderline unstoppable in the second half.
Lance gets BUCKETS! 💪 @LanceBuckets x @BoilerBall https://t.co/ihlDFznWRX
Rutgers cuts its deficit to three points, but on the other end, Austin Williams puts Zach Edey on the free throw line and picks up his fourth foul with 10:31 remaing.
Amazing how kryptonite @RutgersMBB is for @BoilerBall
Rutgers getting a boost off the bench from Jamichael Davis and Gavin Griffiths. RU has made 9 of 14 from the floor in the second half to cut the Purdue lead to 45-40. RU has a 13-2 edge in second chance points.
U12: Purdue 45, Rutgers 40. The Scarlet Knights have pulled within five points once again with an 11-2 run. This is the loudest the RAC has been all season, by a good margin. Rutgers is 9/14 in the second half, including 2/3 on threes. Gavin Griffiths has 5 points on 2 shots.
Rutgers goes on a 7-0 run in the span of 61 seconds and this place is losing its mind. Purdue 43, Rutgers 36, 14:11 to play.
Rutgers trails No. 2 Purdue 33-20 at the half. Shooting just 26% from the floor & 0-8 from three-point range. If not for 9 second chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds, this would be much worse. Despite 8 Purdue turnovers, RU just scoring 4 points off of them. Purdue 50% FG.
Halftime: Purdue 33, Rutgers 20. RU shot 26.5% from the floor (9-of-34) — 4/10 on layups, 0/8 on threes — and committed nearly as many turnovers (7) as field goals. The Boilermakers are shooting 50% (12/24) but committed 8 turnovers. Zach Edey has 10 points on 4/7 shooting.
U4: Purdue 31, Rutgers 18. Purdue responded to Rutgers' 9-0 run with a 10-2 run of its own. Scarlet Knights have taken 11 two-point attempts away from the rim.
U18: Purdue 21, Rutgers 14. Nice response from Rutgers, which goes on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit in half. Boilermakers have turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions. https://t.co/gxzeBLuhE2
Steve Pikiell calls a timeout as Purdue builds a 21-7 lead. Rutgers has more turnovers (4) than made shots (3) through the first 10 minutes of this game.
U12: Purdue 12, Rutgers 6. Scarlet Knights miss 12 of their first 15 shots, including three of their first four layup attempts. But they've forced two turnovers and held Purdue to 4/11 shooting.
U16: Purdue 10, Rutgers 4. Rutgers has struggled to stop Purdue, which has scored on five of its first eight possessions. Zach Edey is 1/3 from the field, 1/2 on FTs. But Braden Smith is 2/2 from floor, 2/3 on FTs and has 3 rebounds.