Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn can’t stop Purdue basketball’s fade

On January 22, 2025By Littum

WEST LAFAYETTE – What at halftime looked like one Purdue Men’s Basketball romping to an eighth straight win turned into a bitter disappointment.

The no. 12 The Boilermakers couldn’t stop Ohio State’s run in the second half as the Buckeyes stormed back for a 73-70 victory. It snapped Purdue’s 26-game home winning streak at Mackey Arena and its seven-game winning streak this season.

Purdue led by 16 before OSU’s Bruce Thornton hit a 3 in the final seconds of the first half. That sparked a 20-2 run into the second half, with the Buckeyes taking their first lead with over 14 minutes to play. A 15-0 run later in the half turned a six-point Purdue lead into a 68-59 OSU advantage with 2:42 left.

Braden Smith’s free throw with 9 seconds left cut the deficit to 70-69, but Purdue couldn’t commit its sixth foul until just 5.3 seconds remained. It didn’t foul Devin Royal until 3.6 seconds remained. He made both ends of the one-and-one.

Ohio State fouled Smith again with 2.9 left and he made the first double-bonus free throw. He intentionally missed the second, but when it didn’t hit the rim, the turnover went to the Buckeyes with 1.9 to go. Royal only made the first free throw, but Fletcher Loyer’s three-quarter layup fell well short.

Player ratings from Purdue’s most frustrating performance in nearly a month.

(*denotes Man of the Match)

APPETIZERS

Braden Smith: 7/10

He showed off his no-look passing skills more than usual on the short throws with Kaufman-Renn. Committed his second foul seven minutes later and played just three more minutes in the first half. Had trouble finding his shot in the second half but hit some big ones.

CJ Cox: 6/10

Smith’s early second mistake pushed Cox into lead guard duties. He immediately hit full court pressure, then went down and leaned into an and-one basket. Also had some safety issues at half court.

Fletcher Rental: 7/10

Turned up his offensive aggressiveness a bit as Smith sat with two fouls. Really turned it on when the Boilers lost that big halftime lead and needed a boost with under 10 minutes to play. He wanted the ball in his hands for the final lift, but it was a big ask.

Caleb Furst: 6/10

Another game where you look up after a quiet first half and he’s right there with the plus-minus leaders. The inability to finish even a few chances on the rim was huge in a game like this.

Trey Kaufman-Renn: 7/10*

Ate early and often inside where he and Smith established the short throw from the opening tip. Also simply outmuscled the Buckeyes for buckets. A strong finish pushed him to 26 points. All but one of his seven rebounds came in the first half.

RESERVE

Raleigh Burgess: 4/10

Limited potential for production on a two-minute night.

Myles Colvin: 7/10

First man from the bench. His athleticism and ball skills made him a defense-to-attack replacement option for Smith late in the first half.

Gicarri Harris: 7/10

Led the surge into halftime when he drained a 3 with a minute left to cap an extended possession. That was nothing compared to the one he hit with less than 8 minutes to play in a one-possession game. Had to take on another big task as Thornton began to change the game.

Camden Heath: 6/10

Quiet but efficient. A few rebounds here, a few assists there.

Will Berg: DNP

Brian Waddell: DNP