Purdue basketball dominates at Iowa to extend nation's best winning streak to 15

It began at tipoff, when Purdue’s Carsen Edwards thrust himself into a crowd to knock the opening possession to Isaac Haas.

Dakota Mathias took the cue, tussling for rebounds under the basket and snatching them out of Iowa hands. And now P.J. Thompson, all 5-10 of him, is out-jumping a Hawkeye for a ball thrown back into play.

Few would argue the No. 3 Boilermakers didn’t bring a significant talent advantage into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday afternoon. Yet it was an effort ignoring that disparity that fueled the paralyzing dominance of Purdue’s first half en route to an 87-64  undoing of Iowa.

Carsen Edwards scored 22 points with a career-high eight assists and no turnovers. He hit six of Purdue's program-record-tying 19 3-pointers. Vincent Edwards scored 19 — sitting one point shy of his fifth 20-point effort in seven games.

Mathias, who had five assists, and P.J. Thompson hit four 3-pointers apiece. Yet the offensive theatrics stemmed from the stingy, physical tone set on defense. Purdue turned Iowa's seven first-half turnovers into 16 points. 

Purdue’s guards are known primarily for their 3-point prowess. They displayed that marksmanship again Saturday, hitting 11 of 12 in one stretch of the first half and four straight to begin the second.

Ryan Cline's 3 with 5:35 to play was the Boilermakers' 19th — tying the single-game mark set earlier this season against Fairfield. With 1:50 left, he hit another to break the record.

The Boilermakers won that Nov. 18 game, at Mackey Arena, by 42. Saturday's matchup at times seemed just as lopsided as a non-conference "buy" game. That may reflect somewhat on a young Iowa team searching for an identity. It certainly reflects on Purdue, which has not lost since Thanksgiving and has begun to turn Big Ten matchups into laughers.

Senior center Isaac Haas -- a 7-2, 290-pound wall of frustration for opposing defenders -- attempted only one shot in the first 30 minutes.

Purdue still flattened the Hawkeyes. Exactly won week earlier, the Boilermakers went into Minnesota's Williams Arena and laid a 34-point bating on the Golden Gophers. 

Early road tipoffs are supposed to serve as fertile ground for upsets. An otherwise undermanned team catches a road-weary opponent unprepared and feeds off of the familiar setting and energized crowd to win.

Iowa also had emotion on its side, The program billed Saturday as the Chris Street Memorial Game, remembering the former Hawkeye who died in a car accident 25 years ago. Street and Matt Painter became friends after playing together on a Big Ten tour of Europe in 1992.

Purdue took the crowd out of Saturday's game with an early 18-0 run and stayed on the attack throughout a punishing first half. Iowa made only 8 of 32 field goal attempts in the first half.