Purdue basketball's senior point guard Braden Smith went scoreless in the first half. In the second half, he caught fire.
WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue basketball got its first glimpse of the new era Iowa Hawkeyes.
Coach Ben McCollum's defensive-minded Iowa squad pushed the Boilers' top-rated offense to the brink.
Fifth-ranked Purdue dodged its first Big Ten loss with the help of Braden Smith's second half heroics and some late free throws, beating Iowa 79-72 at Mackey Arena on Wednesday night.
The Boilermakers (16-1, 6-0) kept pace with unbeaten Nebraska atop the Big Ten standings and extended their win streak to eight.
Purdue basketball turning point vs. Iowa
Despite shooting just 38% in the first half and absorbing an opening 20 minutes where the Hawkeyes went 7 of 10 from 3-point range, Purdue led 39-38 early in the second half after consecutive conventional three-point plays by Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Iowa's response was a 10-0 run, aided by two Purdue turnovers leading to two straight fastbreak dunks by Cam Manyawu.
Purdue's miscues put it in a 48-39 hole.
Rather than fold, Purdue took the shot to the chin and answered with a 12-2 run to tie the game at 50 with 10:14 to go.
CJ Cox's 3 that gave Purdue a 72-67 lead with 2:04 to go felt like the biggest and final blow in a heavyweight bout.
How many assists did Braden Smith have vs. Iowa?
Braden Smith had eight assists against Iowa. Smith now has 922 career assists.
Smith needs 154 assists to tie former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA career record of 1,076.
3 stars for Purdue basketball vs. Iowa
Braden Smith: Smith was hounded the first half, but solved Iowa in the second. Purdue's senior point guard scored all 16 points in the second half and also had four rebounds and two steals.
Daniel Jacobsen: Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff were both saddled with two fouls in the first half, meaning an extended run for the 7-foot-4 sophomore. Jacobsen kept the Boilers afloat, providing five points and seven rebounds in 13 first half minutes.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: After playing just seven minutes in the opening half, the fifth-year senior poured in 10 of his 12 points in the second half. After committing a critical turnover, Kaufman-Renn stole the ball away on the defensive end and got it in transition to Smith for an and-one that tied the game at 50.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball beats Iowa for eighth straight win
Category: General Sports
