TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (SEMINOLES.COM) — Zach Edey scored a game high 25 points and eight rebounds with eleven made field goals to lead No. 5 Purdue in a 79-69 victory over Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Edey led three Boilermakers in double figure scoring, Braden Smith (13 points) and Fletcher Loyer (11 points), to secure Purdue’s seventh win of the season. The Boilermakers are now 7-0.
Darin Green Jr. had a remarkable game, nearing his season-high with 23 points on four made 3-point field goals. He tied his career-high with two blocks against Purdue.
Florida State’s Matthew Cleveland set a new season-high and with 20 points while Cam’Ron Fletcher tied his career-high with 10 rebounds. Jalen Warley also tied his career high with six assists and two steals.
Florida State led early in the first half, holding a 9-4 lead over Purdue after Darin Green Jr. made his first three-pointer of the night, followed by a layup from Matthew Cleveland.
The Seminoles trailed Purdue by only two points (34-32) at the intermission. Green Jr. led Florida State with 16 first half points, shooting three for three from the free-throw line and three for four (.750) from beyond the arc. Matthew Cleveland had a .800 shooting percentage from the field, adding nine points of his own to the first half.
As a team, Florida State shot six for six from the charity stripe and scored five fast break points against the Boilermakers in the first half. They outscored their opponent in three point field goals, having a .364 shooting percentage (four-11) compared to Purdue’s .300 (three-10).
The Boilermakers took control of the second half in the opening minutes, going on an 8-0 scoring run over three minutes against the Seminoles. Purdue continued to dominate after the intermission, shooting 15-28 (.536) from the field and 13-17 (.765) from the free throw line.
“Obviously, never like to play as hard we did and come up with a loss,” said Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. “I think we’ve shown that we’re growing up a little, we are showing that we’re adjusting mentally and emotionally to the level of play that we have to consistently have night-in night-out in order for us to be successful.”
Florida State will travel to John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday, December 3rd to face off against Virginia in their first ACC conference game of the season. The Seminoles hold a 28-26 winning record over the Cavaliers, with their most recent meeting resulting in a 64-63 victory for the Seminoles. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with tip off at 2:00 pm.
Hamilton remained hopeful for the team’s future in his final remarks to the press: “This team has been somewhat challenging in a lot of ways, probably one of the more inexperienced teams we’ve had, but just not having the veterans that we’ve been accustomed to having to show the way, this team’s having a hard time adjusting, but I think tonight, they took a step in the right direction.”
