Zach Edey stats tonight: How did the Purdue center perform against Wisconsin?
The No. 3-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (29-3) faced off against the Wisconsin Badgers (21-12) on Saturday in the Big Ten tournament semi-finals.
It was a tight game throughout, with neither team ever having a cushion comfortable enough. The Boilermakers looked like they would win after a strong final minute, but the Badgers came back to take the game to overtime.
Overtime was similar to the rest of the game, with both teams being hard to split. But Wisconsin would hold on for a 76-75 upset win against Purdue.
Purdue center Zach Edey scored 28 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He shot 7-11 from the field. Edey averages 24.3 points per game, 11.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season.
Edey was by far the best player for the Boilermakers. The next-best player for Purdue was guard Lance Jones, who scored nine points.
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Zach Edey and Purdue were stronger, but Wisconsin held on for a narrow victory
Purdue made 23 of 51 paint shots (45%) and 5 of 16 three-pointers (31%). The winning Badgers, on the other hand, shot 32-71 (43%) from the paint and 7-32 (21%) from three. Despite losing, Purdue statistically outplayed Wisconsin, as evidenced by the game's close nature.
The top scorer for the Badgers was guard Chucky Hepburn, who played 38 minutes and scored 22 points with two rebounds. He scored 9-12 from the paint and made one of his two 3-point attempts.
Hepburn is closely followed by AJ Storr, who scored 20 points with six rebounds. Storr scored 8-23 from the paint and played for 40 minutes.
With the win, the Badgers progress to the Big Ten championship game, where they will face the winners of the other semi-final between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Illinois
Both Wisconsin and Purdue are still on course for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Purdue is likely to get in with a large berth. Wisconsin could enter the tournament as the Big Ten champion, which could set them up for a strong finish.
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