Trey Kaufman-Renn, second-half rebounding halt No. 20 Purdue’s four-game losing streak
The script has repeated itself too many times during this four-game losing streak.
An 11-point lead at Michigan. Up by nine against Wisconsin. A seven-point advantage at Michigan State. The 12-point margin at Indiana. And go back to the Ohio State loss, where the lead was 12 before the game slipped away.
Here was another lead Friday night against UCLA.
Purdue built a 10-point cushion in the first half but watched it disappear, similar to the previous four games. But the 20th-ranked Boilermakers leaned on their man in the middle and Trey Kaufman-Renn helped end the skid during a 76-66 victory before an energized Mackey Arena.
The victory keeps Purdue in the hunt for a top-four seed and a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament.
Kaufman-Renn dominated inside on the offensive end. The junior finished with 29 points, including 15 in the second half. His six straight points allowed Purdue to overtake the Bruins, building a 61-56 lead with 5:35 to play.
Camden Heide and Fletcher Loyer drained 3-pointers, extending the run to 12-0 and a 67-56 lead with 3:38 to play.
Part of the second-half story was Purdue’s rebounding. The Bruins held a 20-7 advantage at halftime and scored 10 second-chance points. While UCLA won the overall rebounding battle, the work on the offensive glass in the second half made a difference.
Purdue totaled 16 second-chance points after halftime and limited the Bruins to eight total rebounds.
Braden Smith became the program’s all-time leader in assists early in the first half, passing Bruce Parkinson. Smith finished with 23 points and eight assists. Loyer had nine of his 11 points after halftime. Heide pulled down nine rebounds, all in the second half.
The Bruins were turnover-prone early, but the Boilermakers didn’t take full advantage of the sloppy play. UCLA committed six turnovers in the first five minutes and grew to nine by halftime. But the Bruins settled down and started executing their offense, bringing them back into the game after trailing by 10.
Kaufman-Renn’s layup increased the margin to double digits with 5:59 left before halftime, but UCLA started to click. The Bruins continued their domination on the boards and slowly cut into the lead heading into halftime.
Sebastian Mack’s 3-pointer started a 16-8 stretch for UCLA, which pulled within 37-35 at halftime.
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