Aaron Estrada-less Hofstra no match for No. 4 Purdue and Zach Edey
Hofstra’s Warren Williams has big problem trying to contain 7-4 Purdue center Zach Edney, who led Boilermakers with 23 points on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Zach Edey keeps putting up big numbers — and No. 4 Purdue just keeps winning.
The 7-4 center had a double-double in the first half and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds to help the Boilermakers rout Hofstra, 85-66, Wednesday night.
Edey has now scored 20 or more points in eight straight games, the longest streak during coach Matt Painter's 18-year tenure.
This is the first time the Boilermakers (9-0) have won their first nine since 2015-16.
“We're big and physical and I think that shows up in the rebounds on the stat sheet,” Edey said after Hofstra finished with just one offensive rebound.
Edey has accounted for 54 points and 39 rebounds in his last two games, including a win over Minnesota.
Hofstra faced an even more daunting challenge because leading scorer Aaron Estrada missed the game with an injured ankle. Redshirt freshman Amar'e Marshall responded by scoring a season-high 24 points, including half of Hofstra's 34 first-half points.
The combination of defending Edey and losing Estrada available left the Pride (6-4) with little chance. Still, coach Speedy Claxton liked what he saw.
“What it says is we're more than a one-man team,” he said. “We really run a lot through Aaron and rightly so because he's a great player. But we've got other players and that showed tonight.”
But Hofstra dug itself a deep, early hole.
Claxton called timeout after Purdue scored the first nine points. The Boilermakers then used the combination of Edey's inside dominance and a flurry of three-pointers, to make it 20-2 less than six minutes into the game.
Marshall's surprise scoring binge helped Hofstra stay within 12 — until Purdue ended the first half on an 11-3 spurt to take a 54-34 lead. The Boilermakers closed it out with a 10-2 run early in the second half.
“The first 10 minutes, we dominated that,” Painter said, noting Edey's role in the fast start. “Then the rest of the game was just a regular basketball game. That's a good team. That's an NCAA Tournament team when they get Estrada back in there.”
Hofstra returns home to face UMass on Sunday.
