[6] Purdue 83, Iowa 73 (Postgame Notes)
- Purdue improved to 17-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten with an 83-73 win over Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win was Purdue's third win in the last four games in Iowa City and gave Purdue a season sweep of the Hawkeyes.
- Purdue has scored at least 70 points against Iowa in nine of the last 10 meetings.
- The win gave Purdue its fourth 20-game start of 17-3 or better under Matt Painter (2021-22, 2017-18, 2010-11, 2009-10).
- The win was Matt Painter's 372nd at Purdue, now second on the all-time Purdue wins list and fifth in Big Ten history.
- Purdue's 61.2 percent shooting was its highest percentage of the season and highest since shooting 63.1 percent in a 104-68 win over No. 17 Iowa on Feb. 5, 2020.
- Purdue made 13 3-pointers and shot at least 59.0 percent from long range for the first time since going 20-of-33 (.606) from long range at Iowa in an 87-64 decision on Jan. 20, 2018.
- Purdue's bench scored 38 points, the 17th time in 20 games that it has scored at least 25 points.
- Purdue is now 55-2 since the start of the 2017-18 season when scoring 80 or more points.
- Purdue has won 20 straight games when making at least 10 3-pointers. The Boilermakers were 13-of-22 in the win over Iowa. Since the 2017-18 season, Purdue is 49-5 when making double-digit trifectas.
- Trevion Williams grabbed his 800th career rebound in the win over Iowa, becoming the eighth player in Purdue history to reach that mark.
- Williams' 28 double-doubles are tied for the eighth most in school history. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Iowa.
- Isaiah Thompson tallied a career-high 18 points (6-of-8 FGs, 4-of-6 3Ps) in the victory.
- Sasha Stefanovic now has 195 career 3-pointers after going 4-of-9 against Iowa, moving him into a tie for 9th with D.J. Byrd on the career 3-pointers made list.
- Ethan Morton tied a career high with 7 points.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Purdue guard Isaiah Thompson said he had to get "back to the basics" with his shot.
Sometimes the simple fixes are the best.
Thompson scored a career-high 18 points and Jaden Ivey had 15 in his return from a hip injury as the No. 6 Boilermakers defeated Iowa 83-73 on Thursday night.
"When you put your time and preparation in, eventually it will pay off," Thompson said. "I'm glad it paid off tonight."
Thompson came in averaging just 5.7 points and had shot 7 of 29 in his last six games. But he went 6 of 8 in this one — including 4 for 6 on 3-pointers.
"He looked like he was having fun out there," Ivey said. "It was good to see he had his confidence back."
Thompson was concerned enough with his shot to talk to his father, LaSalle, a couple of weeks ago to see if he could find something wrong.
"I was struggling shooting," Thompson said. "It wasn't anything out of the ordinary I was doing. I was getting open looks that didn't go down. I just wanted to get back to the basics of what my dad taught me all my life, and I think I did a good job of that."
Purdue coach Matt Painter thought Thompson was "opportunistic."
"He stepped up and made some plays," Painter said.
Ivey, the team's leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, missed Sunday's 80-60 win at Northwestern. He didn't start this one either, but played 21 minutes off the bench.
"I felt good," Ivey said. "Didn't tweak it at all."
Purdue (17-3, 6-3 Big Ten), which shot 61.2%, led by as much as 18 in the second half before the Hawkeyes rallied to get within 57-53 with 12:22 to play. But then Ivey hit two 3-pointers to help stop Iowa's momentum.
"He made some huge shots when they were rolling," Painter said.
Sasha Stefanovic had 14 points for Purdue. Trevion Williams added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Kris Murray led Iowa with 23 points.
"I thought Kris was great the whole game," Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. "I just thought his aggressiveness at both ends was really good, and just to see him playing with that level of comfort and confidence is really important for him and for us."
Iowa forward Keegan Murray, third in the nation in scoring at 22.8 points per game, played just nine first-half minutes after picking up two fouls. Murray, who didn't play in the Dec. 3 matchup at Purdue because of an ankle injury, scored 14 points — 12 in the second half.
"He was good in the second half," McCaffery said. "We needed him to be better. You say, oh, he had an off game. Fourteen and nine (rebounds) is pretty good. The kid did a lot of good things. He's defending guys, in some cases a lot bigger than him. But he was good."
The game featured two of the nation's highest-scoring offenses. Purdue came in ranked fourth nationally at 84.7 points per game, while Iowa was fifth at 83.1.
BIG WINS FOR THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue has won seven of the last nine in the series. The average margin of victory for the Boilermakers has been 17.8 points.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Purdue made a top-10 statement with a road win over the Hawkeyes, who were 11-1 at home this season coming into the game.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue kept pace with the leaders in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are in fifth place in the conference, but just a game out of first.
Iowa missed a chance to gain ground. The Hawkeyes, who are in ninth place, took their second home loss in conference play.
UP NEXT
Purdue: Hosts No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes are a half-game ahead of the Boilermakers in the standings.
Iowa: At Penn State on Monday, the first of two consecutive road games for the Hawkeyes next week.