HONOLULU -- Zach Edey scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first half and No. 2 Purdue rallied to a beat No. 11 Gonzaga 73-63 in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal game on Monday.
The Boilermakers (4-0) trailed by as many as nine points late in the first half, but outscored the Bulldogs (2-1) 43-28 in the second half to remain unbeaten.
"The start of the second half was key for us, getting some transition baskets, getting some steals, I thought we had some active hands at that time and I think that kind of set the tone for us in the second half. The other difference, I thought, was their inability to make 3s in the second half," Boilermakers Coach Matt Painter said.
Edey, a 7-4 senior center, shot 8 for 16 from the floor and made 9 of 10 shots from the free throw line. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots in 33 minutes.
Lance Jones and Braden Smith added 13 points apiece for Purdue, which shot 54.5% from the field (18 of 33) in the second half. Smith also notched five steals.
Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Nembhard had 11 points, six assists and three steals, and Nolan Hickman added 11 points and three steals.
The Bulldogs were 26-for-69 shooting (37.7%) from the field.
Purdue dominated Gonzaga in points in the paint, 44-30.
In other men's Top 25 games Monday, Alex Karaban scored 20 points, including three clutch jumpers down the stretch, and No. 5 UConn turned back No. 15 Texas 81-71 to win the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden. Cam Spencer had 16 points and Samson Johnson set career highs with 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the defending national champion Huskies (5-0), who have won 22 consecutive nonconference games -- all by double digits. ... Dalton Knecht scored 17 points to lead No. 7 Tennessee past Syracuse 73-56 in the Maui Invitational. Josiah-Jordan James had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Aidoo had 14 points and 11 boards for the Volunteers (4-0), who shot 50% from the floor in the second half to pull away. Knecht had 15 points by halftime and missed part of the second half with an apparent left leg injury. He returned in the closing minutes. ... Tre Mitchell scored nine of his season-high 22 points in overtime as No. 16 Kentucky got past Saint Joseph's 96-88. Mitchelll hit back-to-back three-pointers to open Kentucky's scoring in overtime, and the Wildcats outscored the Hawks 19-11 in the extra period. D.J. Wagner had a career-best 22 points for the Wildcats (4-1). ... Steven Crowl had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Wisconsin beat No. 24 Virginia 65-41 in the Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off. John Blackwell added 10 points for the Badgers (3-2), who had 30 points inside against Virginia's vaunted defense. Reece Beekman had 17 points to lead the Cavaliers (4-1), who just entered the AP Top 25 earlier Monday for what may be a short stay.
TOP 25 WOMEN
Kamilla Cardoso had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks as No. 1 South Carolina shook off some poor shooting to rout South Dakota State 78-38. The Gamecocks played without their most reliable outside shooter in Oregon transfer Te-Hina Paopao, who was out with an ankle injury, and her absence showed. South Carolina (4-0) shot 33% (15 of 45) in the opening half, but took control with relentless rebounding and defense. The Gamecocks had 16 blocks, 15 steals and led the Jackrabbits 21-10 in offensive rebounds. ... Elizabeth Kitley scored a 31 points to lead No. 9 Virginia Tech to a 72-51 victory over UNC Greensboro. Kitley connected on 13 of 22 from the floor and grabbed 10 rebounds to lift the Hokies (3-1) to their second consecutive win. Jayde Gamble scored a career-high 25 points to pace UNC Greensboro (3-2), which saw its three-game winning streak end. ... Jacy Sheldon scored 20 points, Taylor Thierry had 14 points and eight rebounds, and No. 15 Ohio State beat East Carolina 79-55 in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. Ohio State (3-1) will play Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Rebeka Mikulasikova added 12 points and Cotie McMahon and Rikki Harris each had 11 for Ohio State, which was coming off back-to-back dominating home wins last week. Synia Johnson scored eight of her 14 points in the second quarter for East Carolina (2-2). ... Marija Avlijas scored 11 points, Madison Scott added 10 points and No. 24 Mississippi beat Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. The Rebels (5-1) held an opponent to less than 50 points for the third time this season. Marquesha Davis (Springdale) and Snudda Collins each scored nine points for Mississippi. Scott was named the tournament MVP. Laila Phelia led Michigan (4-1) with 21 points.
The Purdue bench reacts to play against Gonzaga during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Gonzaga forward Braden Huff makes a slam dunk over Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Purdue center Zach Edey (15) blocks a shot by Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg (33) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Purdue guard Lance Jones shoots over Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) tries to dribble past Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)