Purdue 74, New Orleans 53- Game Wrap

New Orleans might have thought Zach Edey missing the game with an illness was a Christmas Miracle, but Purdue's defense allowed their offense time to adjust and they finished the first half on a 24-2 run that halted any hope of Grinching an upset against the #1 team in the nation.

This was Purdue's first ever game at Mackey Arena being ranked #1. Zach Edey missed his first game of the season with an illness.

Still Purdue handled business going into their Christmas break, winning comfortably, 74-53, against the New Orleans Privateers.

There's no way to replace a player that averages 22.6 points per game, 13.9 rebounds per game, and 2.2 blocks a game, but Trey Kaufman-Renn did his best Edey impression in the post, scoring his first career 20-point game despite coming off the bench.

Trey Kaufman-Renn had 24 points and went to the line 10 times.

He was helped by an 11 point performance from Mason Gillis and 9 points from Caleb Furst in just 17 minutes of action.

Purdue is still struggling to make three-point shots. After going 3 of 25 in Indianapolis against Davidson, Purdue followed it up by shooting 5 of 19 from three.

Purdue is inching towards a sub-30% mark from three as a team.

Fletcher Loyer was the only Boiler to knock down multiple threes and went 2 of 5.

Mason Gillis was 1 of 5 from three. David Jenkins Jr. and Ethan Morton both went 0 for 2.

There was no Zach Edey to hold the paint down for Purdue, but Purdue still outscored New Orleans 38-18 in the paint.

A lot of that damage came off the bench, with redshirt freshman Trey Kaufman-Renn scoring a career-high 24 points. He did a good job impersonating Edey's efficiency, controlling the low block, and scoring with a variety of post moves. He was also able to get to the line, making 8 of his 10 free throw attempts.

Kaufman-Renn took advantage of the extra playing time, getting 26 minutes in this one.

"Shows you what we're capable of. Shows us our future," Matt Painter said about his freshman stepping off the bench.

Jordan Johnson led the Privateers with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting. He also had 4 assists and played 37 minutes.

Tyson Jackson had an efficient 14 points, making 6 of 8 field goals, one three-point shot, and played 33 minutes.

New Orleans was 19 out of 41 from the floor. They turned the ball over 16 times to Purdue's 8.

Mason Gillis told me before practice yesterday that he preferred starting. It showed.

Gillis was the offense for Purdue early, scoring 7 of Purdue's first 12 points, showing his expanded offensive arsenal. He knocked down a three, scored in the mid-range, and got to the free throw line.

He finished the game with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.