Trey Kaufman-Renn, Cam Heide lift Purdue basketball to Big Ten Tourney win over USC
INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue basketball's inconsistencies were on display in Thursday's second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Boilermakers entered the postseason losing five of their past seven games, but saved something for late to reach Friday's quarterfinals.
Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith had 12 points and nine assists while Fletcher Loyer added 14 points, but it was the tandem of Trey Kaufman-Renn and Cam Heide who lifted the No. 6-seed Boilermakers to a 76-71 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After Kaufman-Renn's two free throws with 28.3 seconds left, Myles Colvin forced USC's Desmond Claude into a missed jumper.
Heide snagged the rebound as Purdue punched its ticket to the next round.
Purdue basketball turning point
The Boilermakers have been both a team that has taken great care of the basketball and a team that can beat itself by a lack of doing so.
It was turnover-prone Purdue that put the Boilers playing from behind.
USC's 11-0 run took the Trojans from down three to up eight.
The Boilermakers immediately responded, getting a 10-0 run after falling behind by double digits to tie the game at 28. Cam Heide's two 3s sparked the run.
That was a moment Purdue could've rolled over, already comfortably in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Boilermakers showed some fight in a survive-and-advance format.
3 stars
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: The Boilermakers leaned on their leading scorer and first-team all-conference center when the offense was in a funk. Kaufman-Renn finished with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting and added seven rebounds.
Cam Heide, Purdue: The Boilermakers had to run with the redshirt sophomore for the second straight game. The Boilermakers were better when Heide was on the floor. It wasn't just the 3s that rallied Purdue from a double-digit deficit in the first half. His rebounding was equally, if not more important to Purdue's victory. Heide finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Desmond Claude, USC: Down the stretch, Claude demanded the ball and put the Trojans on his back. He finished with 18 points. Without him, the Trojans would've faltered much sooner.
What's next for Purdue basketball?
The Boilermakers advance to a 9 p.m. Friday quarterfinal against Michigan.
Purdue and Michigan split a pair of regular season games, with each team winning on its home court.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball hangs on to beat USC at Big Ten Tournament
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