WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue hit 12 three-pointers and used a 26-2 scoring run spanning both halves to cruise to an 84-53 victory over the Milwaukee men's basketball team Tuesday night at Mackey Arena.
 
The Panthers (1-1) were ice-cold from long range on the night themselves – finishing just 3-for-19 from distance – and were unable to slow the Boilermakers (1-0) after running into foul trouble following a strong defensive start.
 
"We couldn't make shots early and we needed to make them to give us some confidence, even though we were guarding well," head coach Bart Lundy said. "I think the 'not' making shots took a toll on us. And then the fouls accumulated quickly and they got to the free throw line."
 
BJ Freeman led the way with a game-high 19 points, adding four rebounds. Ahmad Rand was the only other player in double-figures with 10, making all five of his field goal attempts.
 
Fletcher Loyer finished with 17 points and made five 3's. Zach Edey posted a double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds, with the 7-foor-4 center adding six blocks. Purdue is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls this year, sitting just outside the Top 25 in each. The team went 16-1 at home last season.
 
Purdue leaned on that shooting from deep to extend the lead, taking it from just 29-20 with 4:25 left in the first to a commanding 55-22 advantage about four minutes into the second half.
 
"But it was a good growth game for us," Lundy said. "We learned what it takes to win and what to do when you lose. We will take it in and hopefully this will help us down the road. We've got some tough kids. It's a journey and this isn't the destination, so we will keep plugging away."
 
The MKE offense missed its first 13 attempts from deep and got in foul trouble early. Despite a strong start defensively that saw them limit the Boilermakers to a 1-13 start from the floor, the discrepancy from the free throw line couldn't be overcome, reaching 16-4 on attempts in the first half alone.
 
The deficit was just a bucket at 10-8 early. After six in a row by the home team, MKE got a lay-in from Elijah Jamison to stop the bleeding. Another layup by Rand made it 16-12 but Purdue responded with back-to-back 3's and an alley-oop by Edey that forced a timeout by Lundy.
 
The lead eventually grew to as many as 36 at 70-34 before a strong finish for Milwaukee.
 
The defense held the Boilermakers to 37.5 percent (27-of-72) shooting on the night, but connected on just 38.3 percent (23-of-60) of its own. A total of 21 turnovers also hurt the cause.
 
Up next, the team returns home to prepare for the UWM homecoming contest against Cardinal Stritch, set for a 6 p.m. tipoff Saturday evening at UWM Panther Arena.