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In the first top 10 showdown of the college basketball season in Tuscaloosa, AL., guard Braden Smith stole the show with 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half as the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (3-0) knocked off the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1), 87-80 on Thursday night at Coleman Coliseum.
Smith showed off his perimeter game with five three-point conversions and added seven rebounds for the Boilermakers in the win. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn returned from a hip injury that sidelined him the first two games of the season and finished with a double-double (19 points and 15 rebounds), to go along with a team-high five assists. 17 of Renn’s 19 points came in the first half to set the tone for the Boilermakers.
Purdue scored its first top 10 win on the road against a non-conference opponent since a win at Louisville in 1982.
The Boilermakers had their way on the glass with a 52-28 advantage on the Crimson Tide.
The Crimson Tide were led by Aden Holloway with 21 points, while Taylor Bol Bowen added 13 in defeat.
The game went back and forth all night long as both teams exchanged the lead a combined 21 times. Neither team led by more than eight points and the game was tied 14 times.
Alabama managed to keep the game competitive behind solid three-point shooting going 16-of-44 (36.4 percent), while Purdue went 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from long range.
Smith and Oscar Cluff combined to score the final seven points of the game for the Boilermakers in 1:17.
Looking Ahead:
The Boilermakers look to go 4-0 as they host the Akron Zips at Mackey Arena on Saturday, while the Crimson Tide look to get back on track as they meet the No. 14 Illinois Fighting Illini at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 19.
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