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.