Kaufman-Renn/Smith Stop Purdue Slide

Kaufman-Renn/Smith Stop Purdue Slide

by: Steven Stremming, Excel H Sports/USBWA

photos by: Greg Flint/Excel H Sports/Flint Photography

photos by: Tony Harper/Indiana Sports Network

press conference by: Cainan Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

#17 Excel H Sports Purdue came into Friday night’s contest at Mackey Arena on a four-game losing streak (Michigan 75-73, Wisconsin 94-84, Michigan State 75-66 and Indiana 73-58) Michigan is ranked #11, Wisconsin #13, Michigan State #6 and Below the top 30, Indiana) with a mission to stop the streak and position themselves for a Top 4 B1G Ten Conference slot and the double-bye that goes with that accomplishment.

#28 Excel H Sports UCLA Bruins came into the contest after losing their first four games of the new calendar year, have come out on top, nine out of their last eleven games on the winning side of the ledger and they too were battling for that coveted Top 4 in conference slot.

Purdue came out strong and the fan base was right into the action as Purdue struck first with the duo of Trey Kaufman-Renn (Silver Creek) and Braden Smith (Westfield, Indiana) doing the damage.

Renn got into the paint and the Bruins were unable all contest from keeping him out of the cylinder as he scored, at times, at will as he battled a very physical UCLA team.

Smith shot often early and connected but also was deft with his passing abilities, as Smith, in the first half of the game surpassed Boilermaker legend Bruce Parkinson for the all-time assist mark at Purdue (690) with a pass to Myles Covin for a three-pointer.

UCLA would not go quietly into the West Lafayette night as they battled back and closed to within two points at the half-time break trailing only 37 to 35.

The second half was a battle between the teams until about the six-minute mark when Kaufman-Renn scored six unanswered points and opened a lead that the Bruins would not overcome.

Key in the second half of the game were the nine rebounds, two offensive boards from Cam Heide.

For the game, Purdue was led by Kaufman-Renn with 29 points on 11 of 15 from the floor, seven of ten from the line and three steals and Braden Smith’s 23 points on eight of seventeen from the floor that included six of ten from behind the arc, eight assists and four steals.

Fletcher Loyer added 11 points in the winning effort by the Boilermakers.

UCLA was led by Tyler Bilodeau’s 15 points on seven of thirteen from the flor and seven rebounds.

Sebastian Mack was the other double-digit scorer with 10 for the Bruins.

Eric Dailey, Jr. added nine points, Dylan Andrews and Lazar Stefanovic added seven each while Aday Mara scored six points.

Purdue shot 51.9% percent from the floor, 50% percent from three-point territory and 68.8% from the line. Purdue collected 23 rebounds for the game, 19 assists and nine team steals.

UCLA shot 48% from the field, 13 of 16 from the line, 31 team rebounds, 19 assists and four steals.

 

The following is courtesy of Purdue University Athletics

• Purdue snapped a four-game losing streak with a 76-66 win over UCLA at Mackey Arena on Friday night. The win improves Purdue’s record to 20-9 overall and 12-6 in the Big Ten standings.
• The win was Purdue’s eighth quad-1 win of the season and 15^th combined quad-1 and quad-2 victory, the third most in the country (Auburn – 20; Alabama – 17).
• Purdue and Michigan are the only Big Ten teams to sweep the newest members of the Big Ten (Oregon, Washington, UCLA, USC). Purdue won the four games by a combined 46 points.
• Purdue has now 71 conference games over the last five seasons, tied for the most in Big Ten history (Indiana, 1974-78).
• Purdue’s 112 wins over the last four seasons are the ninth most in Big Ten history.
• Purdue’s win was its first over UCLA in 65 seasons, last defeating the Bruins on Dec. 18, 1959. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak to UCLA, the longest-active losing streak against a single opponent.
• Purdue has now won at least 12 conference games for the 10^th time in the last 11 seasons (since 2014-15). No other Big Ten program has won than seven, 12-win seasons in that time frame.
• Purdue shot 51.9 percent from the field, the 12^th time in 18 league games that the Boilermakers have shot over 50.0 percent from the field. Purdue made 11-of-22 from long range, the fifth time in conference play that Purdue has made at least 10, 3-pointers.
• Purdue was minus-8 in rebound margin (31-23), winning for the first time since Feb. 16, 2021, vs. Michigan State when having a minus-8 rebound margin or worse.
• UCLA entered the game sixth in the country in turnover margin (+5.04), but the Boilermakers were plus-5 against UCLA, the Bruins’ lowest margin of the season.
• Purdue improved to 12-0 when holding its opponent to 69 or fewer points.
• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue is now 40-3 when having single-digit turnovers.
• Braden Smith set the Purdue career assists record with eight more tonight, giving him 696 assists in his career. He became the first player in Big Ten history with two seasons of 250 or more assists.
• For the season, Smith now has 465 points, 251 assists, 131 rebounds and 69 steals. He joins Michigan State’s Magic Johnson (1979) as the only players in Big Ten history with a season of at least 450 points, 250 assists, 125 rebounds and 60 steals. Smith has done it in each of the last two seasons.
• Smith moved into eighth place on the Big Ten’s career assists list (696).
• Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting with three rebounds and three steals. He recorded his ninth 20-point game in the last 11 outings.
• Fletcher Loyer scored 11 points, going 3-of-5 from long range. When Loyer makes three or more 3-pointers in a game, the Boilermakers are 11-0 this season.
• Camden Heide set a new career high with nine rebounds, all coming in the second half (12 minutes).

       Press Conference by: Cainan Harper/Indiana Sports Network

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