Mitchell Cutcher
CONTRIBUTOR
In the final game of a five-game road trip, the Omaha men’s basketball team fell to Purdue by a final score of 97-40. The Mavericks saw their rough start to the year continue and had yet another disappointing night shooting the ball as Omaha shot just 27 percent from the field.
The game got out of hand early as the Boilermakers held a 33-5 lead only 12 minutes into the contest. That score did not get much closer as Purdue took a 52-17 lead into the half, following a 19-7 run for the Boilermakers. Purdue extended that lead in the second half and held the Mavericks scoreless over a 15-0 run.
Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4 big man, proved to be too much for Omaha and finished the night with 20 points. Edey made six of his seven shots from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line (8-for-8) in only 16 minutes of action. Jaden Ivey, a unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten Team selection, scored 12 points and sank both of his shots from behind the arc. Simply put, the Boilermakers showed why they’re the No. 3 team in the country.
Darrius Hughes was the lone positive for the Mavericks, as the forward scored a season-high 13 points. Dylan Brougham had six points and also added one rebound and a block in his tough matchup against Edey. The Mavericks were unable to get much production from their bench — a theme throughout the first four games of the road trip, as they only combined for 14 points.
Omaha was also unable to compete with Purdue when it came to rebounding. The Boilermakers heavily out-rebounded Omaha, 53-22. The Mavericks also struggled to score inside as the Boilermakers had six blocks and held the Mavericks to just 16 points in the paint. The Boilermakers scored 46 points from there.
It’s the second consecutive 50-point loss for the Mavericks, as they also fell against Texas Tech on Tuesday, 96-40. It’s been a tough November as the Mavericks played five straight games away from Baxter Arena and were winless in that stretch. Omaha is yet to defeat another Division I opponent this season.
The Mavericks (1-5) will look to get back on track as they return home and finally play their first game of the season at Baxter Arena. Omaha will host SIUE on Nov. 30. It’s the first of four straight at Baxter Arena as the Mavericks will also host Eastern Washington on Dec. 4, Drake on Dec. 8 and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Dec. 11.
