MINNEAPOLIS – Purdue’s 20-point loss at Penn State earlier this week was so ugly it prompted coach Matt Painter to describe his team’s attitude after winning the first two Big Ten games as “fat and sassy.”

Painter wasn’t trying to be mean – only to motivate. His seniors clearly heard the message, and the Boilermakers took out their frustration on Minnesota.

Lewis Jackson had 16 of his 20 points in the second half, D.J. Byrd sank all five of his three-point attempts in the first half and Robbie Hummel returned to the scene of his first devastating injury to enjoy an inspired victory by Purdue, 79-66 over the Gophers on Sunday night.

Jackson said he wasn’t offended by his coach’s salty critique.

“I took it to heart with no problem. I mean, he knows how me and Rob are wired,” said Jackson, who went 8 for 11 from the floor while continuing to fight through back spasms. “We all kind of looked at each other and we were just like, ‘We’ve got to get this back on track.’ ”

Byrd finished with a career-high 18 points for the Boilermakers (13-4, 3-1 Big Ten), who lost their outside shooting touch in the second half after going 10 for 12 from three-point range before the break. But the Gophers (12-5, 0-4) fell in too big of a hole.

Rodney Williams led Minnesota with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and reserve Chip Armelin finished with 12 points.

Freshman Joe Coleman, starting for the first time in place of struggling sophomore Austin Hollins, scored all of his career-high 14 points in the second half. Coleman’s layup with 4:22 left gave the Gophers some hope and brought them within 68-61 after being down by as many as 18, but the early baskets from behind the arc by the Boilers weren’t going away.

“I don’t know that I’ve coached against a team that was any hotter than Purdue was today,” Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said.

Hummel had 13 points and seven rebounds, nearly two years after he cut across the Williams Arena lane to catch a pass and crumpled to the floor when his right knee buckled, forcing reconstructive surgery.

“I really wasn’t too worried about it. It was a fluke. But I’m not going to lie: I’m not too upset that I don’t have to come back here and play again,” Hummel said.

Hummel hurt his left knee months later and missed all of last season, but with a black-and-gold brace serving as a constant reminder of his two anterior cruciate ligament tears he’s back as one of the Big Ten’s best inside players.

“I think that’s the best present we could give Rob, just coming back here and getting a victory,” Painter said.

This is the Gophers’ worst start in conference play since losing their first six games in 2005-06.

Minnesota’s three-point defense is last in the conference, so Purdue’s outside shooting success was no surprise.

Preferring a smaller, quicker lineup, Smith gave struggling 6-foot-11 senior Ralph Sampson III only 11 minutes. With another missing set of long arms, the Gophers let Jackson drive to the basket time after time for uncontested layup.

“That’s our problem. We focus on one thing, and then forget on another,” Coleman said.

The Gophers have lost 14 of their last 15 Big Ten games.