Seniors ignite No. 7 Purdue's blowout victory over Indiana

This time, the Boilermakers made sure the initial wave of energy lasted longer than Tuesday night.

Another fast start was followed by another surge and ended with what would be the final nail before halftime in Friday night’s matchup against Indiana.

And it’s no surprise the group that carried No. 7 Purdue to the finish line.

Senior Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith put their teammates on their backs and blasted the Hoosiers 93-64 before a sold-out crowd at Mackey Arena.

The win keeps the Boilermakers in the hunt for a top-four spot and a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten tournament. It also erased part of the disappointment from the loss to top-ranked Michigan, which stole the early energy and cruised to victory.

But the three seniors kept the crowd engaged for the full 40 minutes and evened their career record against the Hoosiers at 4-4.

Purdue shot a blistering 64.7% for the game and didn’t miss consecutive field goals during the last 30 minutes. The Boilermakers made 28 of their last 39 shots, including four different stretches of making four straight. It’s the highest shooting percentage Purdue has posted under Matt Painter. The Boilermakers also averaged 1.55 points per possession, the fifth-highest mark in program history.

PDF: Purdue-Indiana box score

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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER

PURDUE’S BRADEN SMITH, TKR AND FLETCHER LOYER

INDIANA COACH DARIAN DEVRIES

Leaning on Kaufman-Renn, Loyer, and Smith, the Boilermakers slowly pulled away before delivering a knockout punch heading into halftime. Purdue closed the first half, hitting 10 of 12 field goals, and cruised into the locker room with a 46-29 advantage.

The trio combined for 37 points before halftime, making 12 of 17 shots and 10 of 12 from the line.

And the situation cratered for the Hoosiers to start the second half.

Loyer and Kaufman-Renn combined for the first 12 points as the margin ballooned to 58-35. The quick burst forced Indiana coach Darian DeVries to call two timeouts in the first four minutes as the Mackey Arena crowd roared with approval.

From there, the Boilermakers just had a good time pulverizing their rival with a series of highlight plays.

Kaufman-Renn has been a warrior the last two games, and Friday’s performance added to his legacy. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists, including a nifty pass to a cutting C.J. Cox for a layup.

Loyer hit four 3-pointers to finish with 18 points, and Smith contributed 15 points and eight assists. Omer Mayer joined the scoring party, totaling a season-best 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting and four 3-pointers.

“THEY WERE TERRIFIC”

Frustrated with their performance against Michigan, the Boilermakers had the perfect opponent to regain their focus.

Indiana was up next.

The 29-point victory is Purdue’s largest over its in-state rival since 1969. The Boilermakers also bounced back from the lethargic setback in Bloomington, which prompted a players-only meeting and extended the losing streak to three.

“Nights like these are hard,” DeVries said. “Everybody knows how good Purdue is, and when they’re playing at a level like this, it’s incredibly challenging. They were terrific and responded incredibly well from a tough loss against Michigan. Michigan wasn’t losing to anybody that night.

“I thought they did everything they needed to do to put us in some tough spots, and took advantage of it, especially on the offensive end. We could never get them under control.”

The difference between Friday night and the Jan. 27 five-point loss was more than just numbers.

The energy was different. The intensity was ratcheted up. The focus and concentration were high-level. The physicality was increased. And the execution was about as close to perfect as the Boilermakers can get.

A lot of those elements came to light because Purdue was playing at home and coming off the loss to the Wolverines. But the Boilermakers put themselves in that position from the opening tip and didn’t let go of Indiana’s throat until the final buzzer.

“Before the Michigan game, we were headed in the right direction as a team. Michigan is a really good team, and I felt like we did a lot of good things,” said Kaufman-Renn, who scored 43 points in two games against the Hoosiers this season.

“It shows our growth throughout the year. We’re a different team than we were the first time we played them. We were locked in. We still have a lot to work on, but I like where we are.”

REBOUNDS SET THE TONE

It started with rebounding.

What Michigan did to Purdue on Tuesday night, the Boilermakers did the same to the Hoosiers. Painter’s team was +15 on the boards and allowed just one offensive rebound in a total of 28 missed shots (field goals and free throws).

Purdue returned to setting the tone, as it did in wins over Maryland and Nebraska.

“I thought our guys did a good job,” Painter said. “I just feel that the game gets too hard if you can’t get offensive rebounds and generate points, or get in transition and generate points. I thought our guys were ready to play defensively. We had some breakdowns, but we were pretty consistent across the board.”

Led by Oscar Cluff’s eight defensive rebounds, the Boilermakers prevented Indiana from collecting any second-chance points. With just one offensive rebound, the opportunities were clearly limited.

Purdue grabbed 24 defensive rebounds, allowing the offense ramp up in transition. The whole game was dictated by the Boilermakers finishing possessions on the defensive end with rebounds.

“That’s been the biggest thing for us all year, when we get defensive rebounds, and we can push the ball in transition and get easy points,” Kaufman-Renn said. “That’s when we’re at our best, and today’s no different.”

Indiana’s 15 total rebounds are tied for the second-fewest by an opponent (Northwestern in 2006). The one offensive rebound is tied for the fewest, along with Hofstra in 2022.

“I was pleased from a rebound standpoint,” Painter said. “Anytime you get 19 more possessions than somebody, and if you’re playing at home, you’re going to have success. Taking care of the ball and rebounding the ball are the most important things.”

“HE’S BEEN GREAT”

Overshadowed by the performance of the seniors was Mayer’s contributions.

Not only were his 18 points the most in a game this year, but the four 3-pointers were also a season-high. Coupled with his solid game against Michigan, the freshman from Israel is finding his rhythm.

“Omer was great tonight,” Painter said. “You see that we have more than five starters. That’s been the statement, and that’s some of the things we told him in recruiting.

“But he’s been great. He’s worked hard, he’s putting in time, but it’s a trickle-down from our seniors. Our seniors are that way, and so it really helps his growth and development, but he can go. He’s a good player. Nobody on our team is surprised about the way he’s played, but he’s really given us a punch off the bench.”

Mayer has now made eight 3-pointers in the last three games and is averaging 10.7 points during the same stretch.

Mayer was part of a bench that generated 32 points and 10 rebounds. Daniel Jacobsen and Gicarri Harris each added six points to make this a well-rounded victory.

“A lot of guys that really care about this team and the school winning basketball games, so they put in a lot of work,” Loyer said. “To see guys go out and perform, like Omer, who kind of struggled early on in the year, to go out and hit shots. It’s a credit to all the work he puts in, and the same with those other guys, Gicarri, (Jack) Benter, and Daniel, and everyone that comes off the bench.”