Braden Smith, Caleb Furst kick Purdue basketball past Rutgers

On By Littum

Despite a cold perimeter shooting night, Purdue basketball rolled to a 68-50 road win over Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

The Boilermakers made just 4-of-23 from 3-point range or this really would have been a rout.

Player ratings as the Boilermakers improve to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten:

More: Purdue shuts down Rutgers’ dynamic duo, Braden Smith returns for 4th straight win

(*denotes Man of the Match)

APPETIZERS

∎ Braden Smith: 9/10*

Star again. Had that sixth sense that worked on several of his 14 assists – driving down the lane and shooting back to multiple shooters. Commands the offense and plays some of his most disruptive defense of the season. Helped limit freshman star Dylan Harper to six points.

∎ CJ Cox: 7/10

Quiet about a lot of positive plays – such as on a tight close-out that helps force a trip in the first half. Also poised when needed, like on the 3-pointer he sank off one of Smith’s dazzling dishes.

∎ Fletcher Rental: 7/10

Started aggressively looking for his shot earlier. Ended up among the many Boilermakers struggling to score from behind the arc. Still had the floater and midrange going and looked to hit buckets when Purdue needed a push.

∎ Caleb Furst: 7/10

That one-handed dunk with four-plus minutes sent a message and helped set a tone. His defensive versatility and ability to get into passing lanes helped create a pair of those 12 Rutgers turnovers in the first half. His third foul so early in the second half — and so soon after Kaufman-Renn picked up his third — cut short another positive performance.

∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn: 6/10

Foul trouble kept him mostly on the bench during the first 25 minutes. Then came in and asserted himself when the Boilers badly needed his low-post presence. Doesn’t need to shoot 90% at the line, but can’t be a huge burden either.

RESERVE

∎ Myles Colvin: 4/10

Not his night to rise to the top of the rotation as he only played nine minutes.

∎ Gicarri Harris: 6/10

Finally, great use was made from 3-point range when an opponent openly dared him to shoot.

∎ Camden Heath: 6/10

The put-back with seven minutes left after Rutgers had made it a two-possession game was huge. Had to play more minutes and be more of a rebounding presence with both starting bigs in foul trouble.

∎ Raleigh Burgess: 5/10

Heading for a quiet night until First picked up a third foul less than two minutes into the second half with Kaufman-Renn already on the bench with the same problem.