Vincent Edwards' versatility, aggression sparks Purdue early in victory

At times, Vincent Edwards can worry about trying to do too much.

It can bog his game down, he says, when he overthinks, trying to do every little thing to help Purdue win games.

And yet when Edwards relaxes and lets the game come — something Coach Matt Painter stresses to his incredibly talent wing — doing every little thing and leading the Boilermakers usually is exactly what happens.

Like during the first half Saturday.

In the game’s first five minutes, Edwards used an aggressive-but-mindful mindset to spark Purdue to a big early lead that it never relinquished in a 77-52 victory over Penn State.

Edwards had six points, two rebounds and an assist during a 13-2 spurt to start the game.

The dogged approach had Penn State coach Patrick Chambers searching for the best descriptor for Edwards, calling him the “heart and soul,” “the energy guy” and a “junkyard dog.”

“We knew he was going to come out and play like that, step up to the challenge and set the tone for his team at home with a couple road games coming up,” said Chambers, referencing four of the next five games on the road for Purdue. “We studied it, we watched it, but that’s one thing you try to get done in practice and in film but it’s another thing doing it in a game.”

Just 67 seconds into the game, Edwards made his presence felt.

He got the ball on the wing, used a pump fake to get Penn State’s defender into the air and then put on the ball on the floor, steamrolling toward the basket. Edwards finished at the rim, nearly dunking it with two hands.

Edwards cleaned up a defensive possession with a rebound a couple minutes later and then pushed again, driving to the basket and dropping off a no-look pass to Caleb Swanigan. Swanigan was fouled.

On Purdue’s next offensive trip, Edwards drove hard on the baseline, contorted his body under the basket and finished with a reverse against contact.

After a brick three-pointer on Penn State’s end, Edwards snatched the board and, again, took off down the court. Soon after passing half court, he zipped a pass to P.J. Thompson on the left wing, which Thompson drilled for a three-pointer and forcing a Penn State timeout.

Swanigan stole the ball near the top of the key on Penn State’s first possession after the timeout and got the ball to Edwards, who sliced down the middle of the lane and made a tough shot at the rim with defenders draped on him.

And, just like that, Purdue was up 13-2.

“Our coaches said we could get a lot of things in transition, so I was just looking to attack and trying to find anyone running the floor,” Edwards said. “Nobody was really stopping me when I was pushing the ball, so I just was trying to go make plays and get us going. … (I was) just being settled in and just playing, just playing my game.

“My teammates are doing a good job of finding me and doing a good job running the floor. We’re just doing a really good job playing together and we’re sticking together right now.”

Edwards finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one turnover in 27 minutes. It was more rebounds than in his previous three games combined (four).

“I thought he played really well, thought he rebounded, took care of the basketball and just made good decisions. He’s a very versatile guy and can do a lot of things,” Painter said.

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