There are several reasons why Purdue just endured its first four-game losing streak in five years, among them that the Boilermakers have consistently struggled to guard inside the arc in the absence of two-time CBS Sports National Player of the Year Zach Edey. And, yes, that remained an issue Friday, when UCLA shot 59.4% from 2-point range against Purdue, Yuck. But the best way to offset a poor 2-point defense is with a great 3-point offense, and the Boilermakers used that to beat UCLA 76-66 inside Mackey Arena.
Purdue took 22 3-pointers against UCLA and made 11 of them. Braden Smith was 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Fletcher Loyer was 3-of-5.
“And I thought we took care of the basketball the whole night,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, noting another thing that’s been an issue for his team from time to time — but it wasn’t against UCLA.
Purdue finished with just nine turnovers.
Trey Kaufman-Renn led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting to enhance his candidacy for Big Ten Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 junior is now averaging 19.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting a career-high 61.0% from the field, which is comparable to what Edey shot from the field in the previous two seasons.
Purdue remains No. 16 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Next up for the Boilermakers is Tuesday’s home finale against Rutgers. They’ll then close the regular-season Friday at Illinois.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
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