Big Ten preseason player of the year Braden Smith went 1-for-7 from the field in the first half Thursday, but he scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime on 6-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-7 from three-point range.
Fletcher Loyer went from a decent game early to scoring 16 of his 24 points in the second half. All of his field goals were three-pointers, as he went 4-for-6 from deep.
Four Purdue starters combined to score 50 points on 64% shooting from the field in the second half.
In Big Ten play, the Gophers are last in scoring defense (84.3), last in field goal percentage defense (53%) and second-to last in three-point defense (42.6%) through three games.
Last month, Purdue lost to Texas A&M 70-66 in the Indy Classic with a familiar face playing in the post for the Aggies.
Ex-Gophers forward Pharrel Payne came off the bench to control the paint with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Payne outplayed Purdue’s big man Trey Kaufman-Renn.
