No. 19 Purdue controls paint to beat Marquette 86-71

(AP) Purdue coach Matt Painter simplified the game plan against Marquette knowing he had a size advantage in the paint.

Dump the ball into 7-foot-2 center Isaac Haas for easy buckets. Have the big man find open shooters when the defense collapsed on him.

Haas scored 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, Carsen Edwards added 15 points and 19th-ranked Purdue beat Marquette 86-71 on Tuesday night.

Vincent Edwards added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (3-0), who held distinct edges in rebounding (34-23) and points in the paint (30-12).

"Just having the threat of Isaac Haas down there was too much for them," Painter said.

Good ball movement and improved outside shooting helped Purdue build a double-digit lead for much of the second half after leading by two at halftime. They started the second half 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

"They didn't have an answer for him," Painter said. "When they did come and double, he did a good job of passing it up."

Andrew Rowsey scored 25 points, while Markus Howard added 24 for Marquette (1-1) before fouling out with 5:20 left. Howard, the nation's leader in 3-point shooting last season (54.7 percent), went 4 of 8 from behind the arc against Purdue.

But the Boilermakers were tough to stop after they started complementing their inside game with outside shooting. They eventually got burned trying to slow down Haas.

"Our backside help was something that wasn't really there tonight," Howard said. "It's still early. We have a lot of things we still need to work on."

Carsen Edwards' 19-footer from the corner gave Purdue a 13-point lead with 6:45 left.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: Haas and 7-3 freshman Matt Haarms combined to shoot 11 of 19 for the game and 6 of 11 in the first half. It's an enviable 1-2 inside combo that should especially come in handy when rough-and-tumble Big Ten play begins.

"When you have an advantage with your height and size, and you have skill level, (opponents are) in a predicament," Painter said.

Marquette: Coach Steve Wojciechowski's team can pile up points quickly in bunches, as evidenced by an 11-2 run over the final 2:41 of the first half to narrow an 11-point gap. The Golden Eagles were most effective with a smaller but quicker lineup with 6-8 swingman Sam Hauser guarding Haas in the second half before Purdue started hitting from the outside. Marquette will add more height to its roster in mid-December when 6-11 center Harry Froling, an SMU transfer, becomes eligible.

CHANGING TIMES

Rowsey, Howard and Hauser all played key roles on a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season, losing in the first round to eventual Final Four team South Carolina. Otherwise, Wojciechowski said players are still figuring out their roles on a roster that has just one senior in Rowsey.

"We're very much evolving as a team," Wojciechowsk said. "Really Sam, Markus and Andrew … have been key contributors on a good team. These other guys are figuring out what it takes to do that."

FOUL TROUBLE

Purdue: Vincent Edwards played just 16 minutes, including nine in the first half, after being limited by foul trouble. The senior picked up his second foul about 13 minutes of the first half.

"For us to get a win with him being out – pretty big win for us," Painter said.

Marquette: Besides Howard, 6-10 center Matt Heldt and 6-9 forward Theo John also fouled out for Marquette. The latter two players took turns trying to guard Purdue's big men.

STAT LINES

Purdue, which came into the game shooting 59.8 percent to open the season, was 32 of 56 (57 percent) from the field. … The Golden Eagles shot 40 percent for the game but 52 percent in the second half, including 50 percent (7 of 14) from the 3-point arc.

UP NEXT

Purdue: Hosts Fairfield on Saturday.

Marquette: Begins play in Maui Invitational against VCU on Monday.