No. 12 Purdue basketball leans into experience, Mackey crowd to beat No. 2 Alabama

WEST LAFAYETTE − CJ Cox gave Purdue basketball fans Carsen Edwards flashbacks Friday night.

The freshman’s hot streak turned a matchup between top-12 teams into a heavy homecourt advantage.

The junior trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith led the charge in No. 12 Purdue’s 87-78 win over second-ranked Alabama at Mackey Arena.

Purdue vs. Alabama player ratings: The Big 3 shines, freshman catches fire

The Boilermakers continue to thrive on nonconference heavyweight matchups, extending its nonconference regular-season winning streak to 39.

It’s a streak that had its fair share of challenges: Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, Villanova, Arizona. Gonzaga, Florida State and Marquette twice each.

And now, Alabama twice.

Purdue vs. Alabama turning point

Braden Smith went to the bench for a quick breather and freshman C.J. Cox checked in just a little past the midway point of the second half.

With Alabama leading 65-63, it could’ve been an opportunity for the Crimson Tide to separate themselves.

Instead, Cox caught fire.

The freshman guard made three 3s in 52 seconds, flipping a two-point deficit into a 72-65 lead with 8:21 to go.

Fletcher Loyer does it again

For the second straight game, Fletcher Loyer beat the halftime buzzer with a 3.

Against Yale on Monday, Loyer faked a handoff, turned and fired as time expired.

Friday night, Loyer curled to the same spot on the left wing with time running out. Smith drew Loyer’s defender, passed to Loyer, who took one dribble past Jarin Stevenson, stepped back behind the 3-point line, and drained a 3 to give Purdue a 42-40 halftime lead.

3 stars

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: Purdue made it obvious from the get-go it wanted to establish Kaufman-Renn down low. He missed his first three shots inside, but scored on a shot clock buzzer-beater toss up that went in from 3. Eventually, Kaufman-Renn settled down inside, too. Kaufman-Renn was two rebounds shy of a double-double with 26 points and 8 boards.

Fletcher Loyer, Purdue: Loyer’s halftime…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-12-purdue-basketball-leans-021906662.html

Author : Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-11-16 02:19:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.