EUGENE, Ore. — In a tightly contested matchup, the No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers secured a 65-58 victory over No. 13 Oregon on Saturday, bolstered by Trey Kaufman-Renn’s impressive performance. Kaufman-Renn recorded 23 points along with 11 rebounds, demonstrating resilience after initially struggling with his shooting.
Despite missing his first six attempts from the field, Kaufman-Renn finished the game shooting 35% and excelled at the free-throw line, converting all nine of his attempts. Braden Smith contributed significantly as well, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds, helping the Boilermakers extend their winning streak to seven games, including six in the Big Ten conference.
For the Ducks, Nate Bittle led the way with 18 points, while Jackson Shelstad added 15 points and five rebounds. However, the team had shooting difficulties, managing only 36% from the field and a disappointing 7 of 29 from beyond the arc.
The game took a key turn early in the second half when Bittle scored to give Oregon a 33-30 lead, but Purdue responded with a powerful 11-0 run that allowed them to regain control. This spurt included a dunk from Caleb Furst and a subsequent basket from Kaufman-Renn, pushing the Boilermakers ahead and leaving the Ducks scoreless for over eight minutes.
Oregon managed to close the gap to 42-41 with a three-pointer from Shelstad, but Kaufman-Renn quickly responded with six consecutive points for Purdue. Although Shelstad managed another three-pointer to narrow the score to 52-48, two free throws from Kaufman-Renn and four straight points from Smith sealed the victory for Purdue, putting them up 58-48 with just over two minutes remaining.
Shelstad was a key player in the first half for Oregon, scoring eight points and helping the Ducks take a 31-30 lead into halftime while limiting Purdue to only 31.3% shooting.
In terms of takeaways, Purdue’s performance marked a successful West Coast trip for the team, following a win at Washington with this victory over Oregon. They now sit in second place in the Big Ten with a conference record of 7-1 as they prepare for a three-game homestand.
Conversely, Oregon remains challenged at home, with all three of their losses occurring on their court. They hold a home record of 7-3, including a 1-3 conference record, while maintaining an impressive record of 4-0 in true road games and neutral-site contests.
One key moment in the game was Purdue’s 11-point run early in the second half, which enabled them to seize the lead and secure the win. Furst’s dunk and Kaufman-Renn’s scoring highlighted this pivotal stretch.
A notable statistic is that Purdue’s bench contributed 17 points, including nine from Camden Heidi, while Oregon’s bench managed only eight points throughout the contest.
Looking ahead, Purdue will return home to face Ohio State on Tuesday, while Oregon will host Washington on the same day.
