Overview
- Purdue opened the second half with a 21-0 run that swelled into a 31-4 stretch, limiting Minnesota to two baskets over nearly 11 minutes.
- Braden Smith posted 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and five steals, raising his career assists to 849 as he nears Cassius Winston’s Big Ten record of 890.
- Trey Kaufman-Renn (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Oscar Cluff (14, 11) joined Smith for three double-doubles as Purdue dominated the boards 46-23 and led points in the paint 40-24.
- The Boilermakers improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten; the Gophers dropped to 5-5 while missing starters Chansey Willis Jr. and Robert Vaihola.
- Coach Matt Painter emphasized defensive detail rather than rankings in the rebound performance, and Purdue next hosts Marquette on Saturday.