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Published Jan 12, 2025
Quick Wrap | Nebraska 68, Purdue 104 | 19 three's and two oops
Casey Bartley  â€¢  BoilerUpload
Basketball Columnist
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@CBartleyRivals

Nebraska started the game with an air ball on its first shot attempt as it headed into Mackey Arena to take on #20 Purdue on a Sunday at noon.


Things didn't get much better from the airball, as Purdue's Braden Smtih found Fletcher Loyer found on Purdue's second possession for a three-pointer, foreshadowing a day where Purdue couldn't miss and its defense continued to oppress the Cornhuskers offense.


The Boilermakers rolled to their fifth straight win, 104-68.


Purdue's defense showed up again, forcing 9 first half turnovers.

Something a little new for Purdue, its three point shooting was in full force as well with five Boilers knocking down a three in the first half.

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After Loyer's second three of the game, Trey Kaufman-Renn hit a spinning floater as part of an efficient first half. Kaufman-Renn led Purdue with 13 first half points on 6 of 7 shooting, most of those shots coming from the mid-range with his floater.


Nebraska came into the game as Kenpom's 15th best defense in the country. As the presence of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer applied to Nebraska's defense, cracks started to show in the Cornhuskers play.


C.J. Cox exploded those cracks. Nebraska abandoned Cox on a defensive possession with the ball in his hand. The true freshman knocked down his first three of what would be a career-night scoring the ball.

The three-pointer would give Purdue a 15-7 lead with 14:00 left in the first half.

Then Braden Smith would hit a three and the lead would go to 18-7. Then Smith would hit a mid-range basket, falling away towards the baseline. The five point personal run were Smith's only points of the half as he instead turned to finding his teammates to the tune of 8 first half assists and 14 for the game.


Kaufman-Renn would then steal a pass near mid court, take the ball all the way to the hoop, miss, and then grab his own rebound before finishing a lay up to go up 22-7.


Kaufman-Renn would then knock down a heat check floater from the free throw line to cap off Purdue's 12-0 run.


Myles Colvin, coming into the game in a shooting slump, would then get going, knocking down a three off a Gicarri Harris pass. A Caleb Furst lay up, another Kaufman-Renn put back, and Purdue's lead would swell to 33-14.




Fletcher Loyer would then do the dishing, finding Gicarri Harris at the three-point line and Harris would knock down his first three-pointer of the game to give Purdue a 20 points lead, 36-16.

CJ Cox and Loyer would both add one more three before the half to help send Purdue into the locker room up 45-28 at half.

Purdue stayed on in the second half.


Kaufman-Renn found Loyer for a three to start the half then CJ Cox stole the show again.


Braden Smith had another steal on the defense end and it finished with Cox making a mid-range jumper off the dribble. Then a few players later Smith would find Cox for another three-pointer. Cox would then score in transition, going up with the right hand at the rim and then finishing with his left, under the rim on the other side. Cox would add another mid-range shot, and cap off 10 straight points for Purdue with his fourth three-pointer of the game.


Purdue's lead was 62-36 as Cox had 20 points on a perfect 8 of 8 from the floor at the time.


Cox would then find Loyer for Loyer's fifth three of the game. Cox would join Loyer for his fifth three a few plays later.


Between all those three-pointers, Purdue also showed off its athleticism. Smith found Heide for a reverse alley-oop dunk in transition in the second half. A few minutes later, and Smith found Colvin in almost the exact same spot in the air. Colvin finished his dunk in reverse as Purdue decimated the Cornhuskers.


Trey Kaufman-Renn finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Braden Smith was two points shy of another double-double with 8 points and 14 assists.

CJ Cox led all scorers with 23 points and 4 rebounds.


Fletcher Loyer had 19 points on 5 of 6 shooting from three.

Purdue lands just one shy of all-time three-pointer record

Purdue came into the game as one of the nation's best three-point shooting teams, but two of its shooters were coming in with major slumps, and it hadn't had a game like this.


In fact, Purdue as a program has hardly ever had a game like this.

Purdue was just one shy of its program record in made threes, going 19 of 33 as a team.


CJ Cox was 5 of 7 from three.

Myles Colvin was 4 of 8.

Fletcher Loyer was 5 of 6.

Gicarri Harris was 2 of 3.

Braden Smith was 2 of 6.

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Purdue
FOOTBALL
Scores / Schedule
footballfootball
16 - 5
Overall Record
8 - 2
Conference Record
Finished
Purdue
91
Arrow
Purdue
Michigan
64
Michigan
Purdue
70
Purdue
Ohio St.
73
Arrow
Ohio St.
Oregon
58
Oregon
Purdue
65
Arrow
Purdue