Smith and Kaufman-Renn Deliver Knockout Blows to Iowa in 90-81 Victory

The duo combined for 66 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals to grab their fifth straight road victory and move to 10-2 in the B1G

It was a tale of two halves for the Purdue Boilermakers as they grabbed an important 90-81 victory on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes. It was a victory the Boilers needed to stay within reach of the Michigan State Spartans and showed the offensive capability the Boilers have at any moment. After struggling to a 36-36 tie, the Boilers and Hawkeyes exploded in the second half but Purdue was just more efficient and effective.

Early on it looked like the Hawkeyes were going give Purdue game as they hit their first two shots from behind the arc while the Boilers seemed to lack effort and energy early on. The Boilers clearly had a focus to get the ball inside to Trey Kaufman-Renn where he had a clear advantage. Purdue struggled, however, as they appeared to be very lackadaisical with poor entry passes that put TKR in bad spots. Those poor spots and the combination of poor shooting from the Boilers early on led to Iowa being able to make Purdue really uncomfortable.

It didn’t help that TKR struggled again with first half fouls, something that has been an issue the last several games that has forced one of the best players in the B1G to go to the bench. Purdue had been adjusting well to the Iowa pressure on defense but having TKR go tot the bench at the 8:29 mark when he had easily scored 12 points on 6-8 shooting. The Boilers had struggled with him on the floor but really looked disjointed with him on the bench.

With TKR on the bench, the Boilers had a seven minutes drought from any field goals and only got a pair of free throws from CJ Cox. At that point, the Boilers held a 21-15 lead but Iowa was able to use that drought to grab an 18-6 run to take a 33-27. It was at that point, with just 2:50 left in the first half that Smith seemed to flip the switch needed for Purdue to get out with a win. It came after Smith turned the ball over on back to back possessions when he got caught in a trap and teammates failed to provide any sort of outlet. It seemed to create an anger and frustration in Smith that brings out his best.

It was at that point, with Purdue down six where Smith took over for the Boilers and was able to get the game back to even at half.

Smith hit back to back jumpers to pull the Boilers within two. Following a made three pointer by Iowa’s Thelwell, Furst hit a pair of free throws before Smith hit a deep three with no time remaining in the half to tie it at 36.

It was evident very quickly to start the second half that Purdue had found their rhythm. The Boilers started the second half 5-5 from behind the arc and 8-9 from the field with Smith, Loyer, and Cox all hitting threes to push their lead to 58-46 with 15:13 remaining in the game. It looked like Purdue had solidified themselves on both ends of the court but Iowa’s offense counter punched as well to keep the game within reach.

Iowa had worked the lead down to seven with just 7:27 when Caleb Furst went to the free throw line following a shooting foul. Furst missed both but the Boilers were again able to push their lead to 80-69 following a Furst tip in with 5:06 remaining. Again, it seemed like Purdue was just a single play from grabbing complete control of the game but just couldn’t make that big push. This time it came as Loyer and Cox both missed open threes and TKR missing a short jumper that could have pushed the lead to 13 or 14.

That missed opportunity quickly allowed the Hawkeyes to grab momentum that allowed them to go on an 8-0 run to get within 80-77. With everything seemingly working against the Boilers, poor officiating included, Purdue made the plays that needed to be made. Clinging to that three point lead, the Boilers gave up back to back three point looks to the Hawkeyes but they weren’t able to convert. For a team that is one of the very best offensively, it was a stroke of luck for the Boilers to get two straight misses up just three points.

It is moments like this in tight games that separate good teams from great teams and the Boilers looked like a great team down the stretch. Following those two misses, the Boilers got a big offensive rebound from TKR that drew a foul where he was awarded a one and one. He was able to sink both free throws and Gicarri Harris again stepped up in a big moment to get a steal that led to Braden Smith finding TKR isolated down low to convert and ‘And 1.’ The Boilers finished off a quick 7-0 run in less than one minute that sealed the game and ultimately allowed the Boilers to leave Iowa City with a 90-81 victory.

It was a masterclass for Braden Smith again as the junior point guard followed up his announcement as a finalist for the Cousy Award with 31 points on 11-15 field goals, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. More importantly, Smith saw his struggles from behind the arc meltaway with a 5-7 shooting night from three. The performance against the Hawkeyes is the second most efficient 30 point game in Purdue history.

It was also another top notch performance from Kaufman-Renn who was incredible efficient scoring 25 points on 10-18 along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists but, as mentioned before, struggled again with early foul trouble. It is a worrying trend for a player who is one of the best post threats in the conference but also helps Purdue’s defense and communication immensely.

To support those two, Caleb Furst had one of his best games of the season with 10 points and 9 rebounds to go with 3 steals. Furst has seemingly continued to get more and more comfortable with his roll this season and enjoyed 27 minutes, the third most he has gained this season. When both TKR and Furst have been able to stay out of foul trouble, their ability to play interchangeably at the 4 and 5 creates problems for the opponent as the game goes on.

Purdue is at their best when both TKR and Smith are on the floor together and that was evident in the second half. Following an uneven first half, the Boilers exploded for 54 points and that is something that Purdue is capable of against even good defensive teams when their shots are falling. Purdue ended the game shooting 30-57 (52.6%) from the field and 12-25 (48%) from behind the arc. Concerning is that some turnovers were of the pick-6 variety that Purdue is too good to allow.

The Boilers will return to Mackey Arena to square off against USC on Friday, February 7th. The Trojans sit at 5-6 in the conference and 13-9 overall. Purdue moves to 10-2 in conference and are 18-5 overall with one of the nation’s best resumes as we inch closer to March.