No. 1 Purdue hands Rutgers Basketball 81-65 loss
It was a tough night for Rutgers Basketball as it fell to No. 1 Purdue 81-65 at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
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WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS…
Purdue (8-0, 1-0 Big Ten) took firm control of this game coming out of halftime, opening with an 11-2 run to take a 51-29 lead with 16:42 remaining.
Things did not get any easier for Rutgers (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten), as Purdue took a game-high 25-point lead following a 3-pointer from Fletcher Loyer, which put the Boilermakers ahead 54-29 with 16:09 left in the game.
Purdue had four players record double figures, as Trey Kaufman-Renn recorded a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Braden Smith had 16 points and eight assists. Loyer added 12 points, while Gicarri Harris notched 11.
Harun Zrno and Dylan Grant both recorded double figures for Rutgers with 13 points, while Jamichael Davis had nine. Darren Buchanan Jr. tallied eight points.
Purdue finished shooting 47 percent from the field (27-for-58), and went 10-for-26 from the 3-point line.
On the flip side, Rutgers shot 45 percent (25-for-56) from the field and made eight of its 17 three-point attempts.
FIRST HALF FIGHT
Rutgers hung around in the first half and made it a 20-19 game with 7:37 left following a jumper from Denis Badalau, but Purdue followed with a 10-0 run before taking a 40-27 lead into halftime. The Boilermakers finished the half making four of their last five shots.
It was a fairly even half for both sides offensively, as Purdue shot 44 percent from the field (14-for-32), while Rutgers went 42 percent (10-for-24). The three-ball was the difference as the Boilermakers hit seven of their 14 attempts, while the Scarlet Knights hit just three of six.
Davis led Rutgers in the first half with nine points and made all three of his field goal attempts. Buchanan had six points.
Smith and Harris both tallied 11 points for Purdue in the opening half, while Kaufman-Renn recorded nine points and eight rebounds.
Rutgers’ offense hit a dry spell in the first half, going nearly seven minutes without a field goal as Purdue took a 20-9 lead with 11:41 remaining following a 3-pointer from Harris.
Up next: Rutgers will return to action on Saturday when it faces No. 3 Michigan at 4 p.m. (ET) on BTN.
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