WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Carsen Edwards scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and Purdue beat 25th-ranked Iowa 86-70 on Thursday night.
Matt Haarms had 14 points and Aaron Wheeler added 10 for the Boilermakers (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten), who have won three straight for the first time since starting the season 4-0.
Tyler Cook had 24 points, Isaiah Moss scored 13 and Ryan Kriener finished with 10 for the Hawkeyes (11-3, 0-3), still searching for their first conference victory this season.
Purdue improved to 9-1 in its last 10 home games against Iowa. The Boilermakers hold a 90-76 series advantage, winning 15 of 23 meetings during coach Matt Painter’s tenure.
In last season’s lone matchup, the Boilermakers made a Big Ten-record 20 3-pointers to win 87-64. This time, it was all-around efficiency and scoring depth that made the difference.
Purdue shot 53.2 percent and was well above 60 percent until the final minutes. The Boilermakers’ bench boosted one of the nation’s most potent offenses as the reserves outscored their Hawkeyes counterparts 39-10.
The teams traded the lead early in the first half until Purdue got rolling.
A 9-2 spurt sparked by Haarms snowballed into a 14-3 run and a 28-18 cushion with 7:47 left in the first half. Purdue’s lead reached 26 in the second half.
The Boilermakers shot 63.3 percent from the field to take a 52-35 halftime lead.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: A downward spiral continues for the Hawkeyes, who have dropped from No. 15 to No. 25 in the AP poll since losing to Wisconsin on Nov. 30. Iowa remains without its second-leading scorer, forward Luka Garza, who averages 12.7 points per game. He missed a third straight game with an ankle injury.
Purdue: The Boilermakers are surging at the right time. Purdue defeated its second straight ranked opponent, including a 62-60 victory over Maryland on Dec. 6, and pushed its home winning streak to nine. Now, the Boilermakers need to play the same way on the road, where they are 0-3 this season to go with 2-2 at neutral sites. Purdue is on the road for three of its next five games.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Hosts No. 24 Nebraska on Sunday.
Purdue: At No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday.