MINNEAPOLIS -- On a chilly night, a long way from home, in a place where they historically struggle, the Purdue Boilermakers still found a way.

Forward Vince Edwards scored a team-high 24 points as 21st-ranked Purdue salvaged a game from its road trip, getting back in the win column by holding off Minnesota 68-64 Wednesday.

Purdue center A.J. Hammons added 16 points.

The Boilermakers (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten) lost at Iowa over the weekend but maintained their status as one of the conference's better road teams with the bounce-back win.

"Any time the game is on the line now, I want to be able to have the ball in my hands because I've been in that situation," Edwards said. "I feel like I can make the right play when the right time comes."

Minnesota guard Nate Mason did his part, compiling 15 points and 12 assists, but the team's struggles continued. The Gophers (6-15, 0-9) are still looking for their first win of 2016. Minnesota's last victory was a Dec. 16 home decision over Chicago State.

Purdue led by eight with four minutes to play, then went 0-for-4 from the field, giving Minnesota some life. The Gophers cut the lead to 65-63 with under a minute to play, and Mason hit a free throw with 10.1 seconds remaining to pull Minnesota within a pair again at 66-64.

Edwards hit two free throws to seal it.

"We battled, fought, made some good plays. I thought the free-throw line really hurt us," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said after his team went 11-for-21 at the line. "But I was happy with their effort. I'm sounding like a broken record, but they're getting better."

Purdue sank 15 of 19 foul shots.

Trailing by seven, the Gophers opened the second half on a 6-2 run, cutting the Purdue lead to three and getting the sparse crowd involved for the first time all night. The rally was short-lived, as Edwards hit a 3-pointer, kick-starting a 10-2 Boilermakers run that boosted their lead to double digits once again.

Minnesota didn't go away easily, though. Gophers guard Dupree McBrayer hit two free throws with 7:13 to play, pulling the home team back within 55-54. On Minnesota's next possession, forward Jordan Murphy went to the line with a chance to give his team its first lead. He missed both free throws, and Purdue scored the next seven points to find some breathing room.

"We were fortunate," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "Any time you battle back like they did, and you got a chance to take the lead off a couple free throws, and then don't. I thought that was a key moment in the game that they never got the lead right there."

It was a rare win inside "the Barn" for the Boilermakers, who were 1-3 in their previous four trips to Williams Arena.

Edwards kissed a shot off the glass at the first-half buzzer to give the Boilermakers a 33-26 lead at the break. Edwards led all scorers with 14 in the opening 20 minutes as Purdue opened up a double-digit lead less than 11 minutes into the game. The margin might have been greater if not for early turnover troubles. Edwards also led all rebounders in the first half with six.

Minnesota struggled from the free-throw line early, missing four of five in the first half, but got seven points from Mason to keep Purdue from running away. Trailing by 13 with less than three minutes to play before halftime, the Gophers went on a 10-4 run to chip away at the visitors' lead. Center Bakary Konate was Minnesota's top first-half rebounder with four.

"That was for sure probably the most frustrating part," Murphy said of Minnesota's struggles at the line. "I don't know what it is. We're all really nervous at the line. That speaks for everybody. We missed 10 free throws. That just can't happen in games like that. If we make five more, we're in it at least or we win."

NOTES: Players and staff from both teams looked mismatched upon arrival, wearing athletic shoes with their business attire as part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers week. ... Purdue freshman F Caleb Swanigan, who sustained an ankle injury during the loss at Iowa on Sunday, warmed up but could not play Wednesday. Sophomore G Dakota Mathias took Swanigan's place in the starting lineup and scored five points. ... After two consecutive road games, the Boilermakers are back home Saturday afternoon, hosting Nebraska. ... Minnesota, which played two in a row at home, heads east for its next two games, starting Saturday afternoon with a visit to Indiana.