Purdue’s shining star Braden ‘Smitty’ Smith came through late with back-to-back game-icing three-pointers, handing the Bruins a heartbreaking 76-66 loss. Smith filled up the stat sheet with 23 points, eight assists and three steals, leading the charge for Purdue and exemplifying why he is one of the nation’s best.
In an exhilarating Friday night showdown, UCLA men’s basketball (20-9, 11-7) faced off against No. 20 Purdue (20-9, 12-6) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Coming into this match, both teams were tied with 11-6 conference records. However, with this victory from Purdue, they surpassed UCLA in the standings, dropping the Bruins to 6th in the Big Ten.
The Bruins entered this game slow and skittish, giving up six turnovers within the first five minutes. Purdue’s Smith capitalized on the Bruin’s shaky start scoring 10 points (4 of 5 shooting), alongside five assists and two steals in the first 12 minutes. On top of that, Smith made history with his third assist of the match, becoming Purdue’s all time leader in assists with 691. The Boilermakers took an early 29-19 lead, but the Bruins’ found ways to battle back.
UCLA’s Sebastian Mack provided a much-needed spark off the bench scoring 10 points in addition to four rebounds and two assists. His catch and shoot three-pointer with five minutes left in the first half fueled an 8-0 run that brought the Bruins back into the fight. Additionally, in the first half, UCLA dominated the offensive glass by securing 10 offensive boards compared to the Boilermaker’s one. This led to numerous second-chance scoring opportunities for UCLA which enabled them to cut Purdue’s lead to just 37-35 by halftime.
Purdue opened up the second half hot with an imposing three-pointer from Smith on the first possession. Nonetheless, UCLA’s star forward Tyler Bilodeau led the way as the Bruins continued to compete. Soon enough, the Bruins took their first lead of the game at 42-40, due to an and-one layup from Bilodeau off a dime from point guard Dylan Andrews.
Both teams continued to trade blows in a thrilling second half filled with ties and lead changes. Despite that, the Boilermakers’ went on an 11-0 run late in the half that eventually sealed the win for them. This was due to Smith’s consecutive clutch three-pointers and an outstanding performance from forward Trey Kaufman-Renn who finished with 29 points and three steals.
The Bruins suffered a tough loss on Friday night, but their season still has much to look forward to. This current road trip includes one more game against Northwestern and then they will return to Westwood to face crosstown rivals USC in a sold out Pauley Pavilion. UCLA will then head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament before turning their attention to the main event: March Madness.
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Featured Image Photographed by Jan Kim Lim/UCLA Athletics
