Iowa and Purdue are the top two scoring teams in the Big Ten conference. The scoring certainly lived up to the hype in this game – for Purdue at least. 

The fourth-ranked Boilermakers dropped at least 85 points for their third straight game, defeating the Hawkeyes, 87-68, on Monday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. 

Senior forward Ben Krikke led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Guard Tony Perkins followed up with 12 points and six rebounds while forward Payton Sandfort finished with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists.  

The game got off to an unusual start for the Hawkeyes as the Boilermakers’ star big man Zach Edey drew a quick foul on Krikke in the first four minutes of the game, which brought in first-year forward Owen Freeman earlier than normal. Edey would bait the freshman into two quick fouls, but he remained in the game in an effort to preserve Krikke. 

As Purdue showcased its explosive offense early on, Perkins would make a tough acrobatic and-one layup to cut the lead down to 12-7. After the Boilers responded with a three, the Hawkeyes came right back with a three-pointer from guard Dasonte Bowen. 

The Boilermakers’ offense remained hot, as it would score 12 points to the Hawkeyes’ seven points in a short four-minute span, thus extending the lead to 24-17.

Around the 11:30 mark of the first half, a fight for a loose ball broke out, but Purdue was granted the timeout while both teams were in contention for possession. Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery was livid, yelling at the refs and drawing a technical foul. 

Purdue came out of the timeout and fired up another burst of offense and went on a 12-2 run. 

Iowa struggled to find its leader on offense until Perkins connected on two contested shots around the rim.

Towards the end of the first half, both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket, going 1-for-7 on field goals in a five-minute stint. Purdue would put an end to the drought,  connecting on back-to-back shots in the paint. Iowa first-year guard Brock Harding responded quickly by converting on a quick layup, giving him his first points in Big Ten play. 

This would not be enough as Purdue ended the half on an 11-4 run to maintain a 45-24 lead over Iowa heading into the break. Despite Perkins’ nine first-half points, no other Hawkeye logged more than four points by halftime. 

The second half started no better than the first half. Krikke drove aggressively to the rim and drew a foul, but missed the pair of layups that brought energy to the hostile crowd. 

After a couple of trips down the floor, Sandfort stood under the rim with his back turned to the Purdue inbounder. The pass was thrown off his back and led to an easy layup under the rim. 

Purdue continued to pour on Iowa with a 21-10 run through the first five minutes of the half. The next five minutes saw Iowa start to find a rhythm, but it was barely enough to keep up with Purdue as the Hawkeyes still trailed, 74-44, midway through the second half. 

Hawkeye senior forward Even Brauns checked into the game and recorded two blocks within his first minute on the hardwood. Iowa would go on a 10-0 run – its largest shutout run of the game. – late in the second half, but such a stretch was not enough to overcome the deficit as Purdue cruised to victory. 

Up Next 

The Hawkeyes’ road trip continues with a visit to intrastate rival Iowa State on Dec. 7. The Cyclones are 6-2 on the season, most recently coming off a 99-80 triumph over the DePaul Blue Demons on Dec. 1. Iowa State forward Tre King led the team in scoring with 24. 

In 2022, Iowa State visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena and was greeted in kind with a 75-56 defeat. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 48-28.