Kaufman-Renn scores 29, Smith adds 23 as No. 20 Purdue beats UCLA 76-66 to end four-game skid

Mar 1, 2025, 04:11 am

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- — Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 29 points and Braden Smith added 23 to help No. 20 Purdue beat UCLA 76-66 on Friday night and end a four-game losing streak.

Kaufman-Renn shot 11 for 15 from the field and 7 for 10 on free throws. Fletcher Loyer scored 11 points for the Boilermakers (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten).

Tyler Bilodeau had 15 points for the Bruins (20-9, 11-7), and Sebastian Mack scored 10.

Purdue shot 52% from the field while UCLA hit 48% in a game that went back and forth until the final 6 minutes.

Trailing 56-55, Kaufman-Renn scored six consecutive points to put Purdue ahead 61-56 with 5:35 left. Camden Heide and Fletcher Loyer then made 3-pointers to cap a 12-0 run.

Aday Mara hit a turnaround jumper to make it 67-58 and end UCLA’s scoring drought, but Smith helped Purdue to effectively seal it with two 3-pointers.

The Bruins held a 31-23 rebounding edge.

Purdue shot 60% in the first half to take a 37-35 lead at halftime. UCLA made 46% from the field but held a 20-7 edge in rebounds, including 10-1 on the offensive board.

Purdue built a 29-19 lead, only to see it nearly erased by an 8-0 spurt by UCLA. Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer hit a 3 to give Purdue a 32-27 lead, but the Bruins outscored Purdue 8-5 to end the half.

Takeaways

UCLA: The Bruins had the edge in bench scoring at 30-8, but had trouble slowing down Purdue’s top scorers.

Purdue: With his third assist, Smith became Purdue’s all-time assist leader with 691, passing Bruce Parkinson (1973-77). Smith finished with eight assists.

Key moment

With the shot clock winding down, Loyer hit a 3-pointer to give Purdue a 67-56 led. The home crowd erupted and UCLA called a timeout with 3:38 left.

Key stat

Purdue made 11 of 22 3-pointers, including 6 of 10 by Smith. In contrast, UCLA was 5 for 18 from long distance.

Up next

UCLA plays at Northwestern on Monday night, and the Boilermakers host Rutgers on Tuesday night.

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