Purdue vs. Marquette player ratings: Zach Edey wins Maui MVP after struggling early

Purdue basketball runs through a gauntlet in the Maui Invitational and comes away with championship that will almost certainly yield a No. 1 national ranking next week.

The Boilermakers get a welcome surprise against Marquette with scorching first-half 3-point shooting, an unusual obstacle with Zach Edey's early struggles, and a familiar issue in dealing with the Golden Eagles' defensive pressure in the closing minutes.

But they come away with a 78-75 victory. They will return to Mackey Arena to play Texas Southern on Tuesday.

Here's how the Boilermakers performed Wednesday.

Ratings are on a 1-to-10 scale

STARTERS

∎ Zach Edey: For 15 minutes, Purdue was winning despite Edey. He had 2 points and 5 turnovers at the time. For the last 25 minutes, the Boilermakers needed him. He scored 11 straight points in the closing minutes of the first half. He faced physical defense throughout, and while Marquette didn't appear fazed by his defensive presence, he still altered some shots. In the end, he has another superlative performance: 28 points on 11-of-19 from the field and 6-of-9 on free throws, with 15 rebounds. Rating: 8.5

∎ Fletcher Loyer: In Purdue's Maui opener, Loyer struggled mightily. In the semifinals, he was brilliant. He was somewhere in between in the championship game, scoring 10 points with 1-of-3 3-point shooting. He had trouble covering Marquette's Kam Jones at times (but many people do). Rating: 5.0

∎ Braden Smith: With Edey out of sorts in the opening minutes, Smith led the Boilermakers, handling Marquette's pressure and hitting 3s. The Golden Eagles made life for him (and many other Boilers) difficult in the closing minutes, but Smith made a couple of difficult shots in the closing minutes. He finished with 18 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Rating: 8.0

∎ Lance Jones: Everyone will remember his 70-footer to end the first half, but he made some key first-half defensive plays — one to force a jump ball and a steal to stop a Marquette fast break. He struggled with Marquette's pressure at moments, but hit a 3-pointer with 6 minutes left. He finished with 11 points on 3-of-7 3-point shooting. Rating: 7.5

∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn: He made an early impact, scoring all 5 of his points before the first media timeout. He was quiet the rest of the way, finishing with 2 assists and 1 rebound. Rating: 4.5

Champs:Edey's MVP performance leads Purdue to Maui Invitational title

BENCH

∎ Mason Gillis: He got the late minutes in place of Kaufman-Renn with his activity. He made one sharp cross-court pass to Jones for a second-half 3-pointer, but missed a pair of 3s in the closing minutes. He was active on the boards in the first half, with a putback basket. He also hit a 3-pointer early that gave Purdue a 15-12 lead. He finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes. Rating: 6.5

∎ Caleb Furst: He battled inside but only played 9 minutes, grabbing 2 rebounds with 2 turnovers. Rating: 3.0

∎ Myles Colvin: The freshman is finding it harder to contribute against the nation's best compeition, but he had 2 assists in 4 minutes. Rating: 3.0

∎ Cam Heide: He had a turnover that led to a Marquette basket that forced a Purdue timeout in the middle of the second half. He finished with 2 rebounds and 2 turnovers. Rating: 2.5

∎ Ethan Morton: His place in the Purdue rotation keeps shrinking, and air-balling a 3-pointer with Edey off the floor won't get him more time. Rating: 1.5