Gophers men-Purdue gameday preview
February 3, 2019 at 1:46AM
Conference winning streaks are on the line for both teams
Preview: The Gophers (16-5, 6-4 in the Big Ten) have won two consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since an eight-game winning streak during the 2016-17 season. The recent wins vs. Iowa and Illinois were at home. Now Minnesota will play six of its last 10 regular-season games on the road, including three of the next four. Purdue (15-6, 8-2) has won four games in a row, but it squeaked past lowly Penn State 99-90 Thursday in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers have won consecutive games in the series since falling 91-82 at home in overtime on New Year's Day in 2017.
Players to watch: Gophers sophomore guard Isaiah Washington, who is averaging 5.3 points and 3.5 assists this season, had 12 points and four assists off the bench in Wednesday's 86-75 win against Illinois at the Barn. Purdue junior guard Carsen Edwards had 38 points with eight three-pointers in a win vs. Penn State. Edwards leads the Big Ten overall with 24.9 points per game this season.
Numbers: In two losses against Purdue last season, the Gophers fell 81-47 at home and 84-60 in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers shot a combined 26-for-60 (43 percent) from three-point range in those games.
MARCUS FULLER
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Sophia Boman and Sophia Romine scored second-half goals as the Gophers advanced to the third round for only the third time in program history.
