With 5:30 to play, Kedrian Johnson hit a three-pointer and West Virginia trailed No. 24 Purdue 66-62.
Just 1:26 later, Purdue (4-0) had hit a three-pointer of their own and two free throws, leading by nine, and ultimately wining 80-68 over West Virginia in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament on Thursday night.
Purdue raced out to an early 9-0 lead, as West Virginia (4-1) had no answer for Zach Edey. Edey would score six of Purdue’s first 11 points, and the Boilermakers would run their offense through the 7-foot-4 big man.
West Virginia would fight their way back, trailing 17-13 in the opening half. Both teams would trade baskets, before Purdue would use a 6-0 run to open up an 11-point lead with 6:18 to play in the first half. Edey would score four of the six points, including two free throws. On the evening, Edey was 10-for-12 at the line, while Purdue was 24-for-28 from the free throw line.
The Mountaineers would look to close the first half with some momentum. West Virginia trailed by eight after a pair of free throws from Seth Wilson with 21 seconds to play. The Mountaineers would look to have Purdue stopped, but the Boilermakers would connect on a three-pointer after a cross-court pass on the baseline led to a contested three-pointer, which Mason Gillis drilled to put Purdue up by 11 at halftime.
It was just that kind of shooting night for Purdue. The Boilermakers shot 51% from the field and made eight of their 17 three-point attempts on the evening.
It was the opposite story for West Virginia.
Early in the second half, Tre Mitchell would be forced to sit as he picked up his fourth foul of the game. Mitchell, was mostly ineffective on the night, scoring just two points.
Mitchell wouldn’t be the only Mountaineer in foul trouble, with Jimmy Bell, and Mohamed Wague also having to play limited minutes because they were close to the limit of five fouls. Bell would ultimately foul out, scoring four points to go along with five rebounds.
West Virginia struggled as a team to shoot the ball, as they made five of their 22 attempted three-pointers, while shooting 41% from the field on the evening. Offensively, West Virginia was led by Erik Stevenson and Joe Toussaint, who scored 17 points and 16 points respectively.
Photo from WVU Athletics
