SAN DIEGO — In a thrilling conclusion to the Rady Children’s Invitational, Myles Colvin made a crucial rebound off a missed fadeaway jumper from Braden Smith and secured a basket with just 0.5 seconds remaining, leading No. 13 Purdue to an 80-78 victory against No. 23 Ole Miss on Friday.
Trey Kaufman-Renn had an outstanding performance, contributing 25 points and 13 rebounds for Purdue (7-1), who managed to overcome a significant 17-point lead they had lost earlier in the game. The victory also marked the end of Ole Miss’s impressive 19-game winning streak in nonconference play.
The Rebels managed to equalize at 78 with a layup from Matthew Murrell with 14.7 seconds left on the clock. Following two timeouts from Ole Miss and one from Purdue, the Boilermakers launched into their final offensive play. Smith took a shot from the right baseline, and Colvin leaped in for the vital rebound and the decisive putback.
Colvin finished the game with 20 points, while Smith added 18 for Purdue, marking their fourth consecutive victory in a Thanksgiving week tournament. For Ole Miss (6-1), Jaemyn Brakefield led the scoring with 18 points, and the team had surged ahead with a 75-68 lead after Jaylen Murray’s three-pointer with just over five minutes left in the game. Matthew Murrell and Murray contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Notable aspects of the game include Ole Miss’s struggle in the first half when they trailed by 17 points (42-34) at halftime after Purdue hit a series of three-point shots. However, the Rebels warmed up in the second half, eventually taking the lead at 59-58 thanks to Dre Davis’s free throws with 12:10 remaining on the clock.
Even when Ole Miss gained momentum and took the lead, Purdue exhibited resilience with crucial baskets and strong rebounds from Kaufman-Renn and Colvin in the final minutes.
A turning point in the match occurred when Ole Miss failed to box out correctly on Smith’s missed shot, allowing Colvin to swoop in from the left and grab the rebound before scoring the game-winning shot.
In terms of statistics, a key detail was that the Boilermakers dominated the boards with a 37-26 rebounding advantage over the Rebels.
Looking forward, Ole Miss will face Louisville on Tuesday, while Purdue is set to take on Penn State on Thursday.