EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Zach Edey made a go-ahead shot at the front of the rim with 2.2 seconds left and finished with a career-high 32 points and 17 rebounds to help No. 3 Purdue hold off Michigan State for a 64-63 win on Monday.
Tyson Walker put the Spartans ahead with 11 seconds remaining with a mid-range jumper, giving him a season-high 30 points, but they could not stop the 7-foot-4 Edey on the ensuing possession or make a shot with tenths of a second left on the clock.
The Boilermakers (17-1, 6-1 Big Ten) have won 17 of their first 18 games, matching a school mark set during the 1987-88 season.
The Spartans (12-6, 4-3) dropped a second straight game after winning seven in a row.
After Edey’s last basket, A.J. Hoggard’s long inbound pass was knocked out of bounds by Purdue’s Brandon Newman with 1.8 seconds left. That left Tom Izzo with a chance to draw up a play to potentially win the game on Purdue’s end of the court.
Walker was set up with what seemed to be an open jumper on the left wing only to have Boilermakers guard Ethan Morton get a hand up to deflect the shot, leaving it short of the rim.
Purdue freshman guard Foster Loyer had 17 points, including a go-ahead free throw with 25.7 seconds left in a game that had the intensity of a matchup in March.
Hoggard had 14 points and eight assists, while Joey Hauser added 10 points for the Spartans, who looked like they were going to be overmatched early in the game.
Purdue led by 13 points with 5:47 to go in the first half, but was ahead by just two at halftime after Michigan State started to make shots and cut down on turnovers.
The Spartans surged ahead by five points early in the second half before both teams took turns with the lead in a closely contested game with 13 lead changes and eight ties.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: Edey’s improved play and conditioning makes his tough to stop and sets up everything for coach Matt Painter’s offense that runs through the junior from Toronto.
Michigan State: Izzo said senior forward Malik Hall will be out “a while,” with a foot injury that is potentially a major setback for a team that lacks front court depth.
UP NEXT
Purdue: Plays at Minnesota on Thursday night.
Michigan State: Hosts No. 23 Rutgers on Thursday night.
