Braden Smith recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead No. 13 Purdue to a 92-84 victory over Yale on Monday night at West Lafayette, Ind.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 17 points and Fletcher Loyer added 14 for the Boilermakers (3-0). C.J. Cox added 12 points for Purdue.
John Poulakidas made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points and Samson Aletan added 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out for Yale (1-2). Bez Mbeng tallied 12 points before fouling out, Nick Townsend also had 12 points and Casey Simmons scored 10 for the Bulldogs.
Purdue shot 53.8 percent from the field, going 11-for-23 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs made 50.8 percent of their shot attempts and were 8-for-26 from behind the arc.
Mbeng hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to bring Yale within 75-69 with 3:34 left in the game.
Purdue’s Camden Heide made two free throws with 2:57 left, and Smith stole the ensuing inbounds pass and laid it in for a 10-point edge.
A three-point play by Townsend allowed Yale to move within 83-76 with 1:31 remaining.
Poulakidas buried a 3-pointer with 51.1 seconds left to again bring Yale within seven.
Loyer made two free throws with 46 seconds left, but Poulakidas swished another 3-pointer 14 seconds later to bring the Bulldogs within 88-82.
Cox made two free throws with 29.3 seconds left, and Purdue staved off the Yale charge.
Yale trailed by 11 at halftime before Poulakidas scored nine of the Bulldogs’ first 11 second-half points. His basket to cap that burst pulled Yale within 51-45 with 15:48 remaining.
The Bulldogs later received four straight points from Mbeng to trail 62-56 with 10:59 to play.
Heide then drained two 3-pointers during an 11-4 burst that gave Purdue a 73-60 lead with six minutes left.
Smith had 15 points and Loyer added 12 on 5-of-5 shooting in the first half as Purdue led 45-34. Aletan had 12 in the half for the Bulldogs.
Smith scored eight points during a 15-4 run that saw the Boilermakers open up a 24-12 lead with 9:27 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs were within eight late in the half before Loyer drilled a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds to go to give Purdue the 11-point halftime bulge.
–Field Level Media
