Braden Smith continues strong play, leads No. 20 Purdue past Rutgers

Field Level Media|published: Thu 9th January, 20:27 2025

Jan 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) is guarded by Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jeremiah Williams (25) during the first half at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Braden Smith scored 16 points and dished out 14 assists Thursday night and visiting Purdue never trailed in a 68-50 Big Ten Conference win over Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.

Trey Kaufman-Renn added 16 points for the Boilermakers (12-4, 4-1), who shot 50 percent from the field in a slowly-paced game. Kaufman-Renn dunked off a Smith pass with 4:18 left that gave Purdue a 62-46 lead and sealed the outcome. Fletcher Loyer chipped in 13 points for the Boilermakers.

Freshman Ace Bailey scored a game-high 17 points for the Scarlet Knights (8-8, 1-4), hitting four 3-pointers and grabbing seven rebounds. But the team's other prized freshman, Dylan Harper, made only 2 of 9 shots in 28 minutes and finished with just six points.

Rutgers trimmed a 14-point second half deficit to 46-41 at the 10:51 mark when Harper fed Tyson Acuff for a long 3-pointer. However, the Boilermakers responded with a 9-0 run that saw Smith dish to Gicarri Harris for a 3-pointer, score on a short jumper and later feed Loyer for a layup that made it 55-41 with 8:28 remaining.

Purdue limited the Scarlet Knights to 32.7 percent field-goal accuracy, including 7-of-23 on 3-pointers, and forced 16 turnovers. It also established a 38-20 advantage in paint points.

Smith entered the game playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 25.3 points and 9.7 assists in the Boilermakers' previous three games.

Rutgers couldn't do much to slow him down early as he got Purdue off to a 13-5 lead in the first 7:03, scoring a bucket and dishing two assists.

Smith was responsible for the final 20 Boilermaker points of the first half, whether it was draining long 3-pointers, hitting mid-range jumpers or feeding teammates. His 3-pointer made it 26-17 at the 6:47 mark.

Smith finished the half's scoring by pulling the rebound of a missed jumper by Bailey, starting the break and then finding Camden Heide in transition for a layup that enabled Purdue to take a 33-24 advantage to intermission.

--Field Level Media