ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� Fletcher Loyer scored 24 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points and nine rebounds, and No. 2 seed Purdue beat Miami 79-69 on Sunday in the second round of the advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third straight time and seventh in the last nine years.
In his first game since for assists, Braden Smith had 12 points and eight assists but was also harassed by Miami鈥檚 athletic guards into eight turnovers, matching his career high.
鈥淲e have a good team, we have good balance, and Braden is the guy that makes us go and he sets things off,鈥� Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said. 鈥淚 know he鈥檚 frustrated, but we were able to win and advance, and now we can play another day.鈥�
Smith hit four free throws in the final minute after seventh-seeded Miami (26-9) had cut an 11-point deficit to 73-69, helping to secure in 21 seasons as Purdue鈥檚 coach.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e put in so much in all areas to be the best that they can be, and that鈥檚 how you end up getting a lot of victories, because you have really good players that are committed,鈥� said Painter, who is just 12 short of Gene Keady鈥檚 school record.
Purdue (29-8) advances to face in the West Region semifinals Thursday in San Jose, California. It鈥檒l be the teams鈥� first meeting since Purdue eliminated Texas in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Shelton Henderson led the Hurricanes with 18 points and eight rebounds while also frequently guarding Smith, and Malik Reneau had 16 points with seven turnovers. Miami matched the recognized NCAA record by increasing its win total by 19 from last season, when it went 7-24. Iowa State improved by 20 wins after the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season, when it only played five nonconference games.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get here. It鈥檚 hard to be a part of March Madness. It鈥檚 hard to win a game,鈥� first-year coach Jai Lucas said. 鈥淪o I am just appreciative of that.鈥�
Kaufman-Renn followed Loyer鈥檚 driving layup with a three-point play as Purdue created a little breathing room with an 11-3 run in the second half. Loyer鈥檚 steal set up a fast-break layup by Smith that pushed the Boilermakers鈥� advantage to 68-57 with 5:32 to play.
Henderson, who is six inches taller and 70 pounds heavier than Smith, said the emphasis was on being physical. Painter quipped that Henderson could also play football for the Hurricanes.
鈥淭he thing with him is you鈥檝e got to try to limit him as much as possible because he鈥檚 the engine to the machine. Everybody knows that,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淎nd so we tried to deny him. We tried to trap him. … We just had to give him different looks. We tried to make him as uncomfortable as possible.鈥�
Smith had more turnovers (four) than assists (two) in an uncharacteristic first half while making just one of his six shots. He ended up 3 for 12 from the field,
And yet, he still made critical contributions, including combining with Loyer to go 14 for 14 from the foul line.
鈥淚 hold myself to a higher standard. It was a bit frustrating,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淥bviously I wanted shots to fall, but win and advance, and we move on.鈥�
Loyer, the school鈥檚 record holder for 3-pointers, also made all four of his 3s as Purdue was 57% from behind the arc.
After Miami鈥檚 strong start that included an alley-oop dunk by Ernest Udeh Jr. just after the opening tip, Loyer powered Purdue into the lead with 10 points during a 13-2 surge. His second 3-pointer in that run put Purdue up 19-12 with 12:19 left in the first half.
The Hurricanes whittled away at the deficit, limiting Smith鈥檚 efficacy, and reclaimed the lead on Richardson鈥檚 two-handed jam that made it 31-29 with 4:01 to go before halftime. Miami led 40-38 at the break after Tre Donaldson鈥檚 transition layup in the closing seconds.
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