Game Wrap – #1 Purdue 81, Rutgers 65

During a season where all eyes are on Braden Smith’s charge towards the all-time assist record, it was his shot making that got going for Purdue early as Smith and the Boilermakers started off Big Ten Conference play by beating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 81-65.

Smith had three first half three-pointers, including two early ones, and nearly got to his 13 points a game scoring average with 11 first half points when he added a pull-up mid-range jumper towards the end of the first half.

The rest of the first half went according to script for a Purdue team that has dominated the offensive glass and gotten a lot from its bench.Purdue rebounded its first three misses of the game, leading to one of Smiths threes, and Smith was joined at 11 points by Gicarri Harris who came off the bench to knock down three of his own threes.

Purdue won the possession battle on the glass with Trey Kaufman-Renn once again leading the way with 13 rebounds and it helped a par shooting night from distance for Purdue where it made 10 of its 26 attempts from distance.

In Liam Murphy’s return to action off the bench, filling in for sick redshirt freshman Jack Benter, he knocked down his first three-pointer in Big Ten play.Purdue had 20 bench points.

Brought to you by Neo from the Matrix Play of the Game

Smith and Harris connected on the play of the game late in the first half. After Purdue responded to a 10-0 Rutgers run to cut into the lead, Purdue’s offense started to get going.But Smith’s reacction and sense of the court started to look like he could see the code in real time.After sprinting through traffic in transition, Smith found himself past the defenders and the basket, and as he went up in the air it looked like he had nowhere to go. His momentum stopped, his body turned back around, and he felt more than saw a trailing Gicarri Harris at the top of the key. Smith, who inches closer to the all-time assist record, found Harris with an all-time pass and the two connected to give Purdue a 38-25 lead, a margin Purdue would keep going into half.

Winter is in New Jersey

It was a long, cold second half for Rutgers who looked like a team missing both lottery talent and the gritty defense of Pikiell’s teams of the past.

Purdue looked like the best offense in the country and it was once again Purdue’s elite scorers and depth of scorers that wore down a team in the second half on a night where Purdue’s most efficient scorer struggled to see the ball go on.

Fletcher Loyer, after scoring 15 points on four of four shooting in his last game, was just 3 of 11 from the floor but still managed 12 points including a game-sealing three late in the second half.

But another Trey Kaufman-Renn double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Braden Smith’s cool 16 points and 8 assists more than made up for Loyer’s off shooting night.

It’s a step in the right direction for Purdue who looks to win its third Big Ten regular season title in the last four seasons. This is the first time in the last three seasons that Purdue starts off with a win on the road in conference play.

Purdue will now set its sights to another marquee non-conference game as it sets to host top-ten Iowa State on Saturday in Mackey Arena.