- Purdue improved to 24-3 overall and 13-3 in the Big Ten standings with a 96-68 victory over Rutgers in Mackey Arena. The win closed out a season sweep of Rutgers for the Boilermakers.
- Purdue is 24-3 (or better) for just the second time ever (1987-88 à 25-2 start).
- Purdue is now 13-3 in the Big Ten for the fifth time under Matt Painter (2008, 2011, 2018, 2019).
- Purdue's 28-point win marked its fifth Big Ten home win (out of eight games) by at least 17 points.
- The 96 points scored against Rutgers were the most against the Scarlet Knights in a regulation game since March 2, 2016 against Michigan State (97 points). Rutgers entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally in defensive efficiency.
- Purdue's 58.9 field goal percentage was a season-best percentage.
- Purdue shot at least 50 percent from the field (.589), 50 percent from 3-point range (.522) and 90 percent (.900) from the free throw line for the fifth time in school history (last vs. Oakland; Dec. 1, 2020).
- Purdue has won 59 straight games when shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 70 percent from the free throw line.
- Purdue has won 117 straight games when scoring at least 90 points (last loss: Nov. 26, 1987).
- Purdue went 18-of-20 from the free throw line and is 38-of-40 (.950) from the free throw line in the last two games.
- Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue owns an 82-17 record. The 82 victories are tied for the third most in a three-game span in school history (83 – 2016 through 2018; 83 – 2017 through 2019).
- Purdue has won 15 straight games in Mackey Arena, 11 of which have come by at least 12 points. The streak is the seventh-longest home winning streak in the country.
- Purdue shot 52.2 percent from 3-point range (12-of-23) and is now shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range on the season, now No. 1 in the country in 3-point percentage.
- Purdue's 1.52 points per possession is the fourth-highest total in school history. The Boilermakers scored on 65.1 percent of its possessions (41 of 63).
- Zach Edey saw his 10-game double-double streak end with a 25-point, 7-rebound performance in just 27 minutes (7-of-8 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs). He moved into 18th place on the Big Ten's all-time points chart (2,162 points). He needs 13 points to tie Joe Barry Carroll for second on the school's career scoring list.
- Edey moved into 15th place on the Big Ten's career scoring chart for Big Ten games only (1,250 points).
- Cam Heide scored a career-high 18 points, going perfect from the field (7-of-7 FGs, 4-of-4 3Ps). His 18 points on 100 percent efficiency shooting is the fifth-most points on perfect shooting in school history.
- Braden Smith scored 13 points with seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Smith has 345 points, 192 assists and 155 rebounds on the season – the first Purdue player in school history with 300 points, 175 assists and 150 rebounds on the season.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Zach Edey scored 25 points on near-perfect shooting, Camden Heide added a career-high 18 and No. 3 Purdue routed Rutgers 96-68 on Thursday night.
Edey was 7 of 8 from the field and made 11 free throws without a miss. He also had seven rebounds. Heide was 7 for 7 from the field, making four 3-pointers, after entering the game averaging 3.0 points.
Lance Jones added 17 points for the Boilermakers (24-3, 13-3 Big Ten). Jones was 7 of 14 from the field after going 1 of 10 in a 68-60 victory at Rutgers on Jan. 28.. Braden Smith had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Jeremiah Williams scored 12 points for Rutgers (14-12, 6-9). Noah Fernandes had 11.
Heide said Purdue point guard Braden Smith did a great job finding him.
"(Smith) tells me to be ready to shoot to get his assist numbers up," Heide said. "When you have teammates around you that give you confidence, it's a lot easier to play."
Edey said no one was surprised with what Heide did.
"We all know what kind of work he puts in and what kind of talent he has," Edey said.
Purdue coach Matt Painter said Heide gave the team a big lift, especially with his 11 points in the first half.
"He's did good job just playing to his strengths, taken what's given him and not forcing anything," Painter said.. "He stayed with himself. He's kept a great attitude and you see the upside there."
Purdue's biggest lead was 37 at 87-50. For the game, Purdue shot 59%. Rutgers shot 43%
Purdue shot 63% in the first half to to take a 52-33 lead. The Boilermakers made 7 of 12 3-pointers in the opening half, including three by Heide. Leading 22-21, Purdue used an 11-1 lead to grab control.
"Early in the game we were helping them a bit giving them those transition points and offensive rebounds" Edey said. "Once we got half-court defense set and got stops, I don't think they got 10 points the rest of the half."
The Boilermakers were focused after a 73-69 loss at Ohio State on Sunday.
"We're one of the best defensive teams in the country and today we didn't have any answers," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "They went inside, they made free throws, they had 3s. They're tough here at home and after a loss, they were motivated. They were excellent and took advantage of any little mistake we made."
Painter said a big factor was Rutgers had five offensive rebounds by the first media timeout and only two after that. The Boilermakers had a 35-22 rebounding edge.
"This is one of the best defensive teams, to put 96 points against them is something we haven't done in a long time or at least since (Pikiell) got the program established, " Painter said.
BIG PICTURE
Rutgers: After trailing by just one point in the first nine minutes, the Scarlet Knights were completely dominated. Rutgers couldn't make shots and couldn't stop Purdue.
Purdue: With No. 1 UConn losing by 19 on Tuesday night at No. 15 Creighton, the Boilermakers could move in the rankings if they can top Michigan on Sunday. The Boilermakers (13-3) extended their conference lead to three games in the win column over Illinois (10-5)