Purdue vs. Marquette score, takeaways: No. 2 Boilermakers down No. 4 Golden Eagles for Maui Invitational title

Purdue will eye the nation's No. 1 spot after a stellar tournament performance

No. 2 Purdue hung to win a thriller in Hawaii on Wednesday as the Boilermakers held off No. 4 Marquette, 78-75, to take home this year's Maui Invitational title. Purdue started slow in both halves but finished strong in both cases, anchored by a star-studded performance from Zach Edey and a backcourt supporting cast of Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith.

Marquette jumped out to an early lead with Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones picking up where they left off Tuesday. Much like they did when they defeated No. 1 Kansas, the duo jammed the ball deep into the paint and attacked the basket. They combined for 39 points in the losing effort and shouldered the load with star forward Iso Ighodaro battling foul trouble throughout the game.

Edey turned in 28 points and 11 rebounds in the win to overcome a turnover-ridden first half in which Purdue struggled to get him the rock. He was one of several double-digit scorers for the Boilermakers in what turned out to be a balanced effort thanks to their backcourt. Loyer and Smith combined for 28 points and five made 3-pointers in the win. Lance Jones added 11 points and Trey Renn-Kaufman scored six.

• Purdue retained its dominant edge in games against Marquette, improving to 11-1 vs. the Golden Eagles in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1930s. 
• With Marquette holding off No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday in the Maui Invitational semifinals, Purdue will likely move to No. 1 the next AP Top 25, marking the third-consecutive year the program will hold the top spot in the poll during the season. The Boilermakers had never done so prior to the 2021-22 season.
• Edey recorded his 44th career double-double with a 28-point, 15-rebound performance in 36 minutes of action. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 7:21 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

FINAL: No. 2 Purdue 78, No. 4 Marquette 75

What. A. Game.

What. A. Finish.

No. 2 Purdue survives a fight from No. 4 Marquette to win the Maui Invitiational, 78-75, behind a 28-point, 15-rebound performance from Boilermakers star big man Zach Edey. Purdue guard Braden Smith added 18 points and Fletcher Loyer, who had a career-high 27 on Tuesday, added 10 points.

Edey committed a flurry of turnovers in the first half and Purdue struggled to feed him the ball, but he contributed 15 points and nine rebounds in the final 18 minutes of play to carry Purdue. That included a crucial tip-in down the stretch that helped lift Purdue to victory.

"I was just trying to make a play," said Edey on ESPN after the game of his game-altering tip-in. "Ball went up. Tried to get in good position and get the ball through the net."

The 28-point, 15-rebound performance gave Edey his 44th double-double of his storied career for Purdue.

[Nov 22, 2023 at 7:34 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Zach Edey dominant as ever

If you thought Zach Edey, 2022-23 National Player of the Year, reached the peak of his powers last year, well ... you'd be wrong.

Edey is now averaging more points per game (22.5) this season than he was last year. He's doing so while shooting it more efficiently from the free throw line and blocking more shots than he did last season.

And doing so despite starting the season playing against competition in arguably the toughest MTE of the early college hoops season.

It's very possible the best player in college basketball last season came back a year older and wiser and ... a whole lot better.

[Nov 22, 2023 at 7:28 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Marquette deserves its flowers

I'm not sure anyone was doubting Marquette -- it entered the week No. 4 in the AP poll -- but I'm very sure that no one is doubting this team now. Despite the loss in the title game to Purdue, it earned some serious respect with the way it played this week, stacking wins over UCLA and No. 1 Kansas before pushing No. 2 Purdue to the final whistle. Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones are a force to be reckoned with. Oso Ighodaro is a man possessed. Shaka Smart has a squad that can go the distance. What a fun, cerebral team.

[Nov 22, 2023 at 7:25 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue poised to move to No. 1

Barring a massive surprise, Purdue will likely overtake Kansas as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 when it updates again next week. That's thanks to three wins in three days to take the Maui Invitational. It will mark the third time in as many years the Boilermakers will hold the top spot in the rankings, a remarkable accomplishment for a program that, prior to 2021-22, had never been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 6:34 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Marquette making moves midway through second half

Soon as it felt like Purdue was starting to pull away, Marquette makes its move. Marquette now on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 61-56 and it triggers a quick timeout from Purdue coach Matt Painter. Kam Jones with nine points in the second half and just had a steal and lay-in to help seize some needed momentum. Golden Eagles still in attack mode even playing from behind. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 6:26 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Marquette tightens things up

Purdue largely held serve to end the first half and is seemingly in control out of the gates to open the second half, but Marquette has quietly punched its way back into things, outscoring the Boilermakers 17-12 in the first four minutes and change. Kam Jones has 7 of those 17, and Oso Ighodaro, who was in foul trouble much of the opening half, has four along with an assist and a steal. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 6:05 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

HALFTIME: Purdue 45, Marquette 33

After a quick start from Marquette, it's been all Purdue down the stretch run of the first half as the second-ranked Boilermakers race into halftime with a 45-33 lead. Purdue trailed by as many as four in the opening minutes but made a slew of big shots, particularly from distance, to climb out of the early hole and establish a nice cushion going into the break. (Including one from somewhere in downtown Hawaii at the buzzer.)

Purdue star Zach Edey has 13 points and six boards after a slow start and the backcourt tandem of Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith have a combined 15 points, four rebounds for Purdue. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 5:49 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue thriving despite Edey struggles

If I told you Zach Edey would have just four points on five shots to go with four turnovers in the opening 16 minutes of the first half, you'd probably ask something along the lines of how big a hole is Purdue in? But you'd be wrong! Despite Edey's struggles, Purdue is up 33-27 at the U4 timeout. The Boilermakers have gotten a huge game thus far from Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith, with Renn-Kaufman and Mason Gillis also adding key contributions. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 5:40 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Three-pointers falling for Purdue

Purdue has made five of its six 3-point attempts in the early going to race out to a 26-20 lead, tie for its largest of the game. Braden Smith has made both of his attempts, and Fletcher Loyer, Renn-Kaufman and Mason Gillis have each converted on their lone attempts. Only player to miss so far is Lance Jones. Red hot. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 5:30 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue surges to lead

With Oso Ighodaro in foul trouble, Purdue has gotten hot over the last few minutes to overcome an early four-point deficit to retake the lead at 19-16. Zach Edey with just two points on two shot attempts and two turnovers, but Fletcher Loyer with seven points, picking up where he left off on Tuesday.

[Nov 22, 2023 at 5:24 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Oso Ighodaro with his second foul just 5:23 into the game. Significant development in this one. He heads to the bench, leaving sophomore Ben Gold to handle primary responsibility defending 7-foot-4 Purdue big man Zach Edey.

Tough assignment. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 5:20 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Marquette races out to early lead

Just like it did on Tuesday vs. No. 1 Kansas, Marquette races out to an early lead vs. No. 2 Purdue, taking a 12-9 lead into the U16 timeout. Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro all with four points each. They've been the aggressor and in full-on attack mode so far, but Zach Edey's size and length has already shown up to be bothersome for them. Edey with no stats in four minutes but his presence still impacting the game. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 4:38 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Purdue dominant historically vs. Marquette

Each team is its own entity and historical context is, to be frank, nearly impossible to account for when projecting future events in college basketball. That said ... if history does say anything about today's title matchup, it's that Purdue is in good shape.

The Boilermakers have won 10 of the 11 previous meetings against the Golden Eagles, with their lone loss in the all-time series -- which dates back to the 1930s -- coming back in 2019. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 4:02 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Oddsmakers have Marquette-Purdue as even matchup

SportsLine odds have No. 2 as just a 3-point favorite over No. 4 Marquette entering the Maui finale Wednesday evening. Marquette beat No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night in a game that finished LATE last night eastern time. Both teams are 5-0 entering the contest, but Purdue has been a touch more efficient thus far, as it rates at Bart Torvik entering the game as the only team in the sport to own top-five marks in both offensive and defensive efficiency on the season. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 3:21 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Wild 24 hours for Marquette

Because of a delayed tipoff last night (due to a longer-than-expected Tennessee vs. Purdue game) and an earlier-than-usual Wednesday tip in the Maui finale (due to NBA programming at ESPN), Marquette has an insanely quick turnaround from last night's win over No. 1 Kansas (which ended around 1 a.m. ET). The finale of the event is scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET tip tonight with Purdue and Marquette squaring off in a potential play-in spot to earn the No. 1 ranking when the AP poll is next updated.

[Nov 22, 2023 at 2:41 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Marquette and Purdue surge in rankings

Gary Parrish (unsurprisingly!) moved both Marquette and Purdue up in the CBS Sports Top 25 (And 1) rankings overnight following their big wins in the Maui Invitiational semifinals. Purdue moved up one spot from No. 2 to No. 1, and Marquette bounced up three spots from No. 5 to No. 2 after wins over Tennessee and Kansas on Tuesday, respectively. 

[Nov 22, 2023 at 2:03 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

How Purdue, Marquette got here

Purdue won two games in two days in this week's Maui Invitational over No. 11 and No. 7 Tennessee to punch its ticket to the event's title game scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.

Marquette took down UCLA and then No. 1 Kansas in consecutive days to advance to the title game, where it will be a slight (but not significant!) underdog vs. No. 2 Purdue. Marquette's win over the Jayhawks on Tuesday though, by a final score of 73-59, might go down as the best win for any team of the early season -- regardless of how the rest of today's festivities unfold.