IOWA CITY, Iowa — In a thrilling matchup, Braden Smith scored 31 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 25, leading No. 7 Purdue to a 90-81 victory over Iowa on Tuesday night.

The Boilermakers improved to 18-5 overall and 10-2 in Big Ten play, marking their third straight win. After a tightly contested first half that ended in a 36-36 tie, Purdue began to pull away with a decisive 17-5 run early in the second half.

Despite Iowa’s efforts, the Hawkeyes, who now sit at 13-9 and 4-7 in the conference, managed to close the gap to 80-77 with just 2:42 remaining. However, Purdue maintained control and secured the victory.

Iowa faced a setback just a day before the game with the loss of their leading scorer and rebounder, Owen Freeman, due to a season-ending hand injury. Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes held their own in the first half, briefly leading 36-31 with just over a minute left, until Purdue finished strong with a three-pointer from Smith as the clock expired.

In addition to Smith’s scoring, Caleb Furst added 10 points and snagged a team-high nine rebounds for Purdue. Meanwhile, Josh Dix led Iowa with 27 points, closely followed by Payton Sandfort with 23.

Observations from the game highlight that Purdue emerged as the first team to achieve 10 wins in the conference, driven by Smith and Kaufman-Renn’s effective performances against Iowa’s defense. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes struggled without Freeman in the paint, although junior Riley Mulvey stepped up for his first career start. Iowa was ultimately outrebounded 33-26 by Purdue, who have now won 10 of the last 12 encounters against them.

A pivotal moment occurred when the game was tied at 41. Smith and teammate Loyer quickly hit consecutive three-pointers within 30 seconds, igniting a crucial momentum shift for the Boilermakers. Purdue’s shooting was impressive, making 8 of their first 9 attempts in the second half, including converting all five of their three-point shots.

In terms of shooting efficiency, Smith and Kaufman-Renn were particularly effective, combining for 21 of 33 from the field, while the team shot an impressive 55% overall.

Looking ahead, Purdue will host USC on Friday night, while Iowa will face off against No. 21 Wisconsin at home on Saturday.