Purdue vs. Maryland player ratings: Another Zach Edey double-double, Braden Smith stuffs stat sheet
No New Year's hangover for No. 1 Purdue meant no court-storming.
The nation's top team beat Maryland 67-53 Tuesday, picking up its first win in College Park since 2017 and ending the Terrapins' 19-game home win streak in the process.
DOYEL: After Purdue stomps Maryland, Braden Smith gives boorish crowd a final bucket, and message
INSIDER: Record is worse than this point a year ago, but Purdue is much better
Player ratings on a scale of 1 to 10.
STARTERS
∎ Zach Edey — Unguardable once again, his teammates did a good job of getting him post opportunities, and he went to work. He led all scorers with 12 points in the first half (on 5-of-7 shooting) and showed off an array moves, including a nice seal, turn and jam. He scored 11 more points in the second half and his hook restored Purdue's 20-point lead, 52-32. He finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Rating: 8.0
∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn — He opened the game by drilling a 3, but that was his only shot attempt in seven first-half minutes (two fouls). He finished with five rebounds but didn't score after that opening shot. He had a few chances in the second half, but seemed to have the spin button stuck and kept pivoting the scoring chances away. Rating: 5.0
∎ Lance Jones — He did a good job helping break Maryland's "press" and hounding Terps' top scorer Jahmir Young. He missed all five of his shot attempts in the first half, including an air-ball on his third attempt from 3. He found his stroke to open the second half, hitting 3s on the Boilers' first two possessions. He added another triple later and capped his scoring with a lay-up on a run-out off a Braden Smith dish. He finished with 11 points (4-of-13 shooting) and added four assists. His shooting percentages knock the rating down a bit, but he gets credit for his good work on Young, who, yes scored 26 points, but needed 23 shots to do it. Rating: 6.5
∎ Fletcher Loyer — He drilled two first-half 3s and closed the half with a midrange jumper to give Purdue a 32-19 lead. He only added a free throw in the second half but had a team-best +/- of +20. Rating: 6.0
∎ Braden Smith — A rocky first half offensively, he started 1-of-5 from the field before drilling his trademark mid-range pull-up to give Purdue a 30-15 lead. He also had as many rebounds in the first half as Edey (four). Again, find me a player who scrapes 6-foot who rebounds better on the defensive glass. He opened the second half with back-to-back assists on Lance Jones 3s and hit a few of those pullups that drive opponents crazy. He finished with 14 points (6-of-13 shooting), seven rebounds and six assists. The turnovers (four) you can live with. Rating: 7.5
RESERVES
∎ Ethan Morton — Pulled down one rebound in 12 minutes and did a solid job defensively, albeit against a pretty poor shooting Maryland team. Rating: 4.0
∎ Mason Gillis — He played nearly twice as much as TKR in the first half (13 to 7 minutes) and had a nice drive-and-dish for an Edey jam. He followed it up with a nice take and finish of his own and then fed Edey with a nice pass from the top of the key that finished with an easy bucket. In the second half he scored on a nice back cut off a pass from Jones. He had four points, three rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes. Rating: 6.0
∎ Cam Heide — He confidently stepped into 3 to give Purdue an early 19-7 and got on the floor to force tie-up. He played only 10 minutes, but grabbed three rebounds in that stretch. Rating: 6.0
∎ Caleb Furst — Recorded one rebound in six minutes. Rating: N/A
∎ Myles Colvin — Played just three minutes and didn't attempt a shot. Rating: N/A
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs. Maryland player ratings: Zach Edey, Braden Smith lead win
