No. 1 Purdue knocks off No. 5 Gonzaga 80-68
By: Mike Stiles -
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Zach Edey (photo courtesy of Michael Conroy/AP)
No. 1 Purdue knocks off No. 5 Gonzaga 80-68
(DETROIT) - The 7 foot 4 Zach Edey withstood all the abuse Gonzaga could lay on him Friday night, finishing with 27 points and 14 rebounds to lift Purdue to an 80-68 victory over the Bulldogs in a Midwest Region semifinal. There were highlights galore in the No. 1-seeded Boilermakers' 32nd victory of the season, including a 14 point, 15 assist, 8 rebound masterpiece from guard Braden Smith. No moment, though, told the story better than at the end of the first half when Edey had Gonzaga's Ben Gregg pinned underneath the basket. Gregg, in a desperation move to make a play, flailed at the ball and ended up roundhousing Edey full-on in the forehead with his open hand, picking up his third foul. Graham Ike had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga, who fell to 0-3 vs Edey and the Boilermakers over the past two seasons. With the win, Purdue will take on No. 2 Tennessee in the Midwest Region Championship.
OTHER MIDWEST REGIONAL SCORES
No. 2 Tennessee 82 – No. 3 Creighton 75
OTHER MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORES
SOUTH REGION
No. 4 Duke 54 – No. 1 Houston 51
No. 11 NC State 67 – No. 2 Marquette 58
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