Bench contributions help No. 13 Purdue hold off Yale

Pick a storyline from Purdue Monday’s matchup against Yale.

There’s Braden Smith, displaying his variety of shot-making skills through the first 14 minutes.

Here’s Fletcher Loyer, saddled with two early fouls, putting the Boilermakers on his back in the final 5:43 before halftime.

And the play of Trey Kaufman-Renn, who used his muscle and heart at the start of the second half to keep the Bulldog at a distance.

Purdue’s talented trio – the backbone of this year’s team – all had their moments during the 92-84 victory at Mackey Arena. The 13^th-ranked Boilermakers now turn their focus to Friday night when No. 2 Alabama comes to town.

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Monday was the program’s 38th consecutive regular-season non-conference victory dating back to 2020.

Smith carried the offense early, scoring 15 points, hitting 3-pointers, fadeaway jumpers, driving hard to the rim, and playing with the edge we’re accustomed to seeing.

Loyer took the handoff from Smith, scoring 12 points in the final 5:43 before halftime. The final basket was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off a set play following a Purdue timeout.

Kaufman-Renn’s physical inside play set the tone to start the second half. The junior had eight points in the first five minutes as Purdue opened up an 11-point advantage.

But the Bulldogs didn’t go away, pulling within six points five times throughout the second half. However, Myles Colvin, Cam Heide, and C.J. Cox delivered crucial baskets to keep Yale from staging a comeback.

When Colvin threw down another impressive dunk off a sweet pass from Smith – who started the fastbreak following a steal – the margin reached 12 with 7:22 to play.

Heide, Colvin, and Cox combined for 30 points, including 26 in the second half.

Smith led the Boilermakers with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Kaufman-Renn had 17 points and Loyer finished with 14.

John Poulakidas kept Yale close throughout the second half, scoring 15 of his 23 points. The left-handed Poulakidas drained 5 of 12 from 3-point range.

“WE DON’T WIN WITHOUT THEM”

Purdue’s success this season certainly centers around the play of Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn, but other players on any given night will also define that success.

While the trio took the Boilermakers to a certain point, the contributions from Heide, Colvin, and Cox helped put this team over the top on Monday night.

Whether it was Colvin’s 3-pointer that pushed the lead to nine early in the second half, Heide’s two 3-pointers after halftime, or Cox contributing eight of his 10 points in the final 11 minutes, the Boilermakers showcased their balance.

“We know they’re big-time players, but to come in and play just as hard and give as much energy as they’ve been able to give us, it’s so big time,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We don’t win without them.”

Heide has passed up shots in the first two games of the season but found the confidence to deliver big plays against the Bulldogs. A text from Lance Jones, a member of last year’s team, was encouraging.

“It starts from the guys in the locker room, just keeping me encouraged,” Heide said. “Lance Jones even sent me a text (Monday). I won’t say exactly what it was; it’s just encouragement. It’s a family here.”

The encouragement from his current teammates and former ones fuels Heide. Some of it is receiving reassurance he’s doing the right things.

“You get your confidence from the work you put in,” Heide said. “The more that you work, you have confidence. When you see shots not falling in practice and games, it helps to have people around you cheering you on and wanting the best for you.”

Monday’s game showcased the team’s depth, giving the reserves a chance to make an impact with plenty of attention directed toward Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn.

“I think it’s just playing our roles and then just coming in doing our jobs,” Colvin said. “I think it breaks down the defense, and we just do the simple stuff.”

LATE FREE THROWS

Purdue scored its last 13 and 16 of its last 18 points at the line in the final six minutes to seal the victory. It’s good experience, as the upcoming schedule will likely put the Boilermakers in tight end-of-game situations.

Cox is one player who stepped up. He finished 6 of 7 at the line, including converted five in the last 1:26. Cox also produced a three-point player midway through the second half after the Bulldogs closed within seven.

“I thought C.J. Cox really helped us,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “C.J. Cox, when Braden turned it over a couple times, came in and got an and-1 and made a pull-up and kind of settled us down there.”

Two other freshmen – Gicarri Harris and Raleigh Burgess – also played and gave the Boilermakers a lift. Heide said this young group remains engaged on and off the floor and wants to improve in all areas.

“All the freshmen want to learn,” he said. “We do a lot of stuff with our offense and defense, but they’re willing to learn. They ask the guys who have been here a lot of questions. They’re open-minded. They ask why we do things a certain way.

“When you have a group that’s willing to learn, they’re going to be pretty successful.”

PAINT CONCERNS

For the second time in three games, an opponent outscored Purdue in the paint. Yale totaled 50 points in the lane, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi collected 46 in the season opener.

With the most challenging part of the non-conference schedule starting Friday and the Big Ten season around the corner, the Boilermakers need to shore up their interior defense.

The Bulldogs scored nearly 60% of their points in the paint on Monday. In the first three games, opponents have generated 55% of their points in the lane.

“I think it’s a huge concern, to be honest with you,” Kaufman-Renn said. “That’s what, especially with the bigs in ball screen coverage, making sure that we don’t leave too early to get back to our guy. That’s something that coach has been honest about.

“When you let good teams get to the paint, they’re going to score, they’re going to collapse the defense, kick out for 3s, and they’re going to shoot layups the whole game. You can’t beat big-time teams when they score 50 in the paint. We can’t do that.”

The Boilermakers will need to shore up this area. Yale “lived in the paint,” Painter said, due to the Boilermakers’ inability to contain the basketball and keep it out of the middle of the floor.

“We’ve got to do a better job of keeping the ball out of paint, period,” Painter said. “We’ll go back and watch tape, and we’ll work on that, but Alabama isn’t going to run what Yale runs. I think if we had to play Yale again, we would be better in that area, but we’re not going to play them again. It’s a concern, but it was a concern before this game.”