No. 2 Purdue and No. 7 Tennessee played a football game on the basketball court at the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii on Tuesday as the Boilermakers escaped with a 71-67 victory in the Maui Invitational semifinals behind 27 points from Fletcher Loyer.
The top-10 clash featured a total of 52 fouls and 78 free throws as bodies hit the ground on virtually every play. The Boilermakers will face No. 4 Marquette in the tournament's championship game Wednesday after the Golden Eagles upset No. 1 Kansas in the other semifinal.
Loyer helped carry the Boilermakers as reigning national player of the year Zach Edey dealt with foul trouble that kept him benched for spurts of both halves. Still, Edey made a massive impact with his 7-foot-4 frame, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to help Purdue to a 17-10 edge in offensive rebounds.
That stat was particularly impactful considering how many misses were up for grabs on the glass. Neither team shot better than 35.2% from the floor. Tennessee rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half behind the outside shooting of Jordan Gainey, who scored all 15 of his points after the break. Ultimately, the Vols couldn't overcome a 30% team shooting percentage in the second half.