Minnesota Vs. Purdue Final Score: Golden Gophers Fall At Home 79-66

The Minnesota Golden Gophers couldn't withstand a first half three-point barrage from the Purdue Boilermakers or a second half assault by Lewis Jackson. The 5'9" point guard struggled through back spasms to lead the Boilermakers with 20 points and four assists while D.J. Byrd had a career high 18 off the bench in a 79-66 Purdue win. Minnesota is now at 0-4 in the Big Ten at the bottom of the standings.

The Boilermakers rode 10 of 12 shooting from long range in the first half to build a 47-32 halftime lead. Purdue had scored only 45 points total in their last game, an ugly 65-45 loss at Penn State on Thursday. The Golden Gophers were able to cut the lead to seven late, but Jackson's controlled dives to the basket were unstoppable for Purdue.

Rodney Williams had a huge night for Minnesota with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Joe Coleman had 14 and Chip Armelin had 12. Ralph Sampson III was held to just two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes as Purdue kept the big man in check throughout.

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Purdue Vs. Minnesota Score Update: Golden Gophers Trail Boilermakers At Halftime

The Minnesota Golden Gophers looked like they had weathered an early three-point barrage by the Purdue Boilermakers that had Minnesota trailing by as much as nine points early in the first half.

Chip Armelin came off the bench to give Minnesota a boost while forward Rodney Williams made big buckets inside and out to cut into the lead. Armelin drained a three-pointer with under six minutes to play in the half to cut the lead to 31-28. After an impressive baseline dunk by Williams a couple of possessions later, it appeared Minnesota may have seized the momentum for the rest of the half.

But Purdue answered that rally and then some, finishing the half on a 12-2 run to take a 47-32 lead to the break. D.J. Byrd leads the Boilermakers with 15 points after making 5 of 5 three-point attempts. Robbie Hummel pitched in 11 points as Purdue finished the half making 10 of 12 three-pointers as a team.

Williams paces Minnesota with 11 points to go along with Armelin's 9 points off the pine.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. For an opposing view, check out Hammer and Rails.You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.

Purdue Vs. Minnesota: Golden Gophers Look For First Big Ten Win Against Boilermakers

For more on the Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher.