Trey Kaufman-Renn's game-winner pushes No. 10 Purdue past Indiana

Purdue had to will itself to this victory.

There was nothing easy. It was hard facing in-state rival Indiana, which was struggling coming into the game, but kept coming back when the Boilermakers had seemingly put them away.

As another chapter in this series unfolded on Friday night at Mackey Arena, a combination of players pushed No. 10 Purdue over the top, posting an 81-76 victory.

There was Trey Kaufman-Renn, who muscled his way to seven straight points to start the second half and came through with the go-ahead hook shot with 11 seconds on the clock. He finished with 23 points, including two free throws with 2.2 seconds to play after intercepting a pass.

There was Braden Smith, who guided the offense and made plays on the defensive end to swing the momentum back to the Boilermakers. Smith had 24 points, seven assists and six steals.

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There was Fletcher Loyer, who lifted the lid off the basket with a crucial 3-pointer. It stopped a 12-0 run by the Hoosiers, who had taken control. Loyer’s two free throws with 3.3 seconds gave the Boilermakers a three-point lead.

From IU’s perspective, there was Mackenzie Mgbako, who keyed a handful of runs to keep the Hoosiers from wilting under the pressure on the road. Mgbako forced the Boilermakers to counter with his impressive shot-making ability. He had 25 points.

Tied at 72 with 1:51 to play, Smith’s two free throws gave Purdue the lead. Smith stripped Oumar Ballo in the lane, triggering a transition opportunity. C.J. Cox made 1 of 2 free throws, giving the Boilermakers a 75-72 lead.

But Trey Galloway answered with a layup, bringing the Hoosiers within 75-74 with 1:13 to play. Galloway, who had 13 of his 15 points in the second half, delivered again with a one-handed shot in the lane, giving IU a 76-75 lead with 25.6 seconds left. It set the stage for Kaufman-Renn’s game-winner.

The Hoosiers held a 19-10 rebounding advantage in the first half, but the Boilermakers carved into that margin after halftime. Purdue countered the rebounding with a significant edge in points off turnovers.

IU’s rebounding and the production from Luke Goode and Mgbako were the story in the first half. Goode and Mgbako combined for 24 points and helped put together a 9-0 run and a 36-29 lead with 3:44 to play. Ballo became more involved in the offense, scoring all nine of his first-half points in the final five minutes.

The Boilermakers picked up a little momentum to end the first half. They trailed by seven with 1:11 on the clock, but Cox’s offensive rebound led to a Gicarri Harris jumper with 11 seconds before halftime, pulling with 41-37.

DIFFERENT PURPOSE

Kaufman-Renn was eager to finish his portion of the postgame press conference and speak to his high school coaches. Kaufman-Renn grew up in Southern Indiana, which shows more loyalty to the Hoosiers.

“Some of my high school coaches are Indiana fans, so I’m glad that we got this win, and I can talk trash to them after this interview,” he said with a smile.

While most will remember Kaufman-Renn’s winning hook shot, go back to the start of the second half when the graduate of Silver Creek helped erase the four-point deficit.

He came out of the locker room with a different purpose. It was a combination of heart and strength as Kaufman-Renn took it to Ballo, first with a three-point play, and added a short jumper and right-handed layup to ignite another sellout crowd.

Kaufman-Renn played just 12 minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls. He was eager to get back on the floor.

“P.J. (Thompson) drew up some plays for me, and I just tried to be efficient with that,” said Kaufman-Renn, who had 15 second-half points. “I had a lot built up from the first half.”

That anger paid off for the Boilermakers, who needed Kaufman-Renn back in the game to help spread the floor and create opportunities for his teammates. His presence allowed Smith to find his rhythm and for Loyer to generate 12 points in the second half.

But the start of the second half brought Purdue back into the game from a physical standpoint, an element it needed to eventually overtake the Hoosiers.

“I thought they manhandle us a couple of times at the rim, and I thought they were quicker to the ball than we were,” coach Matt Painter said. “That was first and foremost. Trey had not gotten to where he was working downhill to his right hand, like he did in the second half.”

OVERCOMING FOULS

For the second time in three games, the Boilermakers dealt with foul trouble to their most important players.

Against Ohio State, Smith was saddled with two fouls. On Friday, it was Kaufman-Renn’s turn to sit on the bench heading into halftime. He picked up two offensive fouls in the second half, including his fourth with 9:32 to play and IU holding a two-point lead.

He returned at the 6:04 mark, and the Hoosiers were up by four.

But the reserves are helping bridge the gap with Kaufman-Renn and Smith on the bench in different games and allowing Purdue to remain connected to IU and other opponents.

Harris made a key defensive play. Caleb Furst didn’t score – or even attempt a shot – but had three steals in 20 minutes. Camden Heide made important contributions on the defensive end and finished with five points.

Painter likes the development of his bench but prefers his go-to players remain on the floor in these close games.

“It’s one of those things that, if you can end up winning a game, you like the experience, but it could’ve cost you,” Painter said. “You go back and look at Trey Kaufman’s minutes and how good we were with him on the floor. We’re a plus 21 with him on the floor, and we win by five.”

KEY DEFENSIVE STOP, FORCING TURNOVERS

After Kaufman-Renn’s go-ahead basket, the Hoosiers didn’t use a timeout to set up a play. They were trailing by one.

Harris was credited with a blocked shot on Myles Rice’s attempt, thwarting a chance for IU to win the game. Loyer was fouled after the rebound.

“Just trying not to let him beat me to the basket and just trying not to foul,” Harris said. “Those are two important things. If he made that shot over me, he would have made it. I was trying to do all I could, make him take a tough shot or pass the ball.”

Harris’ huge play secured the victory, but the overall difference was how Purdue forced Indiana into 20 turnovers and scored 26 points.

While the focus was on the end of the game, IU coach Mike Woodson acknowledged the turnovers were his team’s downfall.

“I couldn’t get his attention, and about time he got going, and I thought he got fouled on the play, but they didn’t make the call,” Woodson said of Rice. “I don’t think that was the difference in the game. The difference in the game was the 20 turnovers that we had.

“I thought that was huge. On the road, you can’t turn it over like that, and they made us pay for it. They had 26 points off our turnovers. But for the most part, I thought our guys competed, did a helluva a job. But you know, it’s about winning in this league.”

Helping the Boilermakers stay near the top of the Big Ten standings is the defensive presence of Harris and Cox. They’ve added a different element to the on-ball pressure Painter’s team is bringing during the conference season.

“They’ve both improved defensively, their ball pressure has really helped, and we lead the Big Ten in forced turnovers,” Painter said. “I think anybody that covers us would laugh at that six, seven weeks ago, me included. They kept getting better. They’ve kept improving, and now they give us something we didn’t have earlier in the year.”