Trey Kaufman-Renn, hustle plays carry top-ranked Purdue past No. 9 Illinois

The clear defining stretch came for Purdue during the final eight minutes before halftime in the first top-10 showdown at Mackey Arena in 14 years.

Zach Edey picked up his second foul – he was whistled for his first one 24 seconds earlier – and the 7-foot-4 center went to the bench with 8:03 before halftime.

The top-ranked Boilermakers led by seven against No. 9 Illinois.

When the game reached halftime, Purdue had a 15-point lead, had wrestled control of this marquee matchup and held on for an 83-78 victory, giving the Fighting Illini their first Big Ten loss.

However, an 8-0 run during a nearly three-minute span brought Illinois within three points on Coleman Hawkins’ 3-pointers with 12.3 seconds on the clock. Braden Smith made two free throws with nine seconds left to increase the lead to two possessions and allow everyone to feel comfortable.

The Boilermakers extended their winning streak to seven thanks to the contributions from Trey Kaufman-Renn, Mason Gillis, Fletcher Loyer, Lance Jones, Camden Heide and Smith.

PDF: Purdue-Illinois statistics

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The group pushed the lead to double digits with a series of hustle plays and several big-time shots that sent the Illini searching for cover from another sellout crowd.

None was bigger than Kaufman-Renn, who brought a high level of energy level from the opening tip. He crashed the boards, kept plays alive with his active hands, and punished Illinois on the offensive end to make up for Edey’s absence.

Kaufman-Renn finished with 23 points, hitting 8 of 12 field goals and going 6 of 7 from the line. However, the exclamation moment on Kaufman-Renn’s performance was a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 5:10 to play, extending the advantage to 79-65.

Purdue outscored Illinois 23-15 during the first-half stretch with Edey on the bench, sending a strong message to the rest of the Big Ten that Matt Painter’s team can do a lot of damage with the reigning National Player of the Year off the floor.

The Boilermakers stretched the margin to 21 points in the second half, and the Illini kept chipping away pulling within single digits on the strength of Marcus Domask, who totaled 20 of his 26 points in the second half.

Jones delivered big plays and scored 17 points, and Edey collected another double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Edey pulled down his 1,000th career rebound becoming the second player in program history to reach that mark. Joe Barry Carroll is the other Boilermakers with at least 1,000 rebounds.

“THAT WASN’T MAGIC”

With about five minutes to play and the Boilermakers trying to hold off an Illini rally, Trey Kaufman-Renn drained one of the biggest shots of the game.

An open 3-pointer from the top of the key.

“They’re coming back and Trey Kaufman shoots that 3 like he’s Ray Allen,” Painter said.  “He works – that wasn’t magic. He really works on his free throws, and he works on his game.”

That work is paying off in different areas for the sophomore. And his hustle and effort plays showed up in a big way Friday night, keeping plays alive with tips and crashing the boards. He was credited with four rebounds – three on the offensive end – but it seemed Kaufman-Renn had double that total.

This is how Kaufman-Renn earned the starting spot, a position he hasn’t relinquished since the season started. Painter witnessed the progress throughout the summer and during the foreign tour.

“The way he played tonight is the way he played all summer,” Painter said. “That’s how he got himself in this position. You don’t see it as much because he doesn’t play heavy minutes all the time, even though he starts.”

The 3-pointer should’ve provided enough separation as Purdue opened up a 14-point lead as the frenzied crowd embraced the Silver Creek graduate. Kaufman-Renn is now 7 of 14 from 3-point range this season.

“It’s a confidence boost but I’ve shot well,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We shoot a lot of 3s in practice so it’s a shot that I practice.. If they’re going to leave me wide open, I have to step up and hit it.”

But it was Kaufman’s work around the basket that set the tone and helped carry the Boilermakers to the finish line. His spin move in the first half was one of those “Wow” moments that will end up on the season highlight package and make opponents second guess about leaving him open.

Of course, future teams are going to pay more attention to Edey and take their chances with Kaufman-Renn and Gillis. It proved costly to the Illini on Friday night.

“I just told him standing out there he kicked our butt. Give that young man a ton of credit,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Kaufman-Renn.

Underwood added “you can’t be normal” when playing Edey and the Boilermakers.

“You have to try and make other players beat you,” Underwood said. “I think there’s a lot of risk with that and we saw that tonight. Zach is the reigning National Player of the Year for a reason and will probably win it again this year. We tried to play soft on the 4 men and they punched us.”

The combination of Kaufman-Renn and Gillis delivered a knockout punch. They totaled 32 points, 12 rebounds – including eight on the offensive end – to show a force of physicality.

“We’re getting great production and that’s what we have to keep getting from those guys,” Painter said.

“IT’S OUR ROLE”

Gillis walked into the postgame press conference with numerous injuries.

A black eye. A cut on his bicep. He suffered a sprained big toe, which kept him out of Thursday’s practice. Those were suffered on Tuesday against Maryland.

In the first half Friday, he pulled down a rebound with one hand, landed hard on his back, and likely hit his head on the court. After a few seconds, Gillis jumped up and acted as if nothing happened.

He played 20 minutes and continued to make hustle plays and remained a force in the rebounding department, collecting five offensive boards.

The effort on the glass trickled through the rest of the team, leading to a 43-28 dominating performance.

“It’s in our job description. It’s our role,” Gillis said. “It’s what we’ve got to do to help our team win. I know I’ve realized that, and I think (Kaufman-Renn) realized that a little bit too as time has gone on. We want to win. We’re competitors. The coaches give us a job and I know we both go out here and do our best.”

Underwood is tired of seeing Gillis physically overwhelm his team.

“I’ve always thought Gillis is a stud. I love him. He finds a way to kick my ass every time we play him,” he said.

Friday wasn’t the first time the Boilermakers responded to the challenge of controlling the boards against a tough rebounding team. They outrebounded Tennessee and Marquette in Hawaii and had the edge against Alabama and Arizona.

“We responded. I thought we were great in that area. Our guys were really focused there,” Painter said.

After Tuesday’s win over Maryland, Purdue quickly turned its focus to Illinois and winning the rebounding battle. The Boilermakers did, going away.

“That’s what we want to do when we go in the game,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We’re super competitive. To me, I knew that they were a good rebounding team, so I wanted to make sure that we outrebounded them and got as many rebounds as possible. That’s kind of my competitive drive.”

“THAT WAS HUGE”

When Edey went to the bench with the two fouls, the Illini had their opportunity to make a run.

They did but couldn’t sustain it as Purdue’s mix of starters and reserves showcased the team’s depth for the entire country to see.

“That was huge,” said Braden Smith, who totaled 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. “That shows you where our team is. With Z or without Z, we’re in pretty good shape, I think.”

Gillis had a pair of 3-pointers. Loyer stepped up and hit his only field goal of the game, a 3-pointer. Kaufman-Renn was 6-for-6 at the line. Jones drained a 3-pointer, drove the lane and scored a layup. And there was the Heide 3-pointer, which came on a fastbreak following an outlet pass from Gillis to Smith, who found the redshirt freshman on the wing.

When the Boilermakers missed, Illinois couldn’t keep them from collecting offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second-chance points.

“They kicked our butt during that stretch,” Underwood said. “The best player in the country is not in the game and you’d better make some hay. We did for a little bit, but you have to sustain that.

“We felt like we could score. We did. We got enough stops but their offensive rebounds, our first-shot defense was pretty good in that stretch. The second shots clipped us when 7-foot-5 isn’t in the game.”

Game Summary: Purduesports.com