Braden Smith set career highs with 34 points and six 3-pointers as No. 21 Purdue pulled away from Toledo 83-64 in a nonconference matchup on Sunday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
Smith went 12 of 22 from the floor and added 12 assists and three steals for the Boilermakers (9-4). Trey Kaufman-Renn added 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and Fletcher Loyer chipped in 17 points.
Sam Lewis collected 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Sonny Wilson also scored 13 points to lead Toledo (6-6). Seth Hubbard supplied 11 points.
The Rockets trailed by 11 at halftime and by 13 after two free throws by Smith with 18:24 to go in the game. Four Toledo players then contributed points to an 8-0 run to pull within 43-38 with 16:44 to play.
The lead hovered between five and 10 points until Smith’s layup began a 17-2 spree that effectively sealed the win. Toledo, which finished at 40.6 percent from the floor, missed nine straight shots as Purdue took off.
Smith entered the game averaging 12.9 points per game.
The Boilermakers shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 10 of 28 on 3-point attempts. The Rockets made just 2 of 14 from deep.
Toledo led 12-10 on Hubbard’s jumper with 13:43 left in the first half, but the Rockets went cold. They missed 11 of their next 12 shots, and the Boilermakers heated up.
Smith scored nine points in an 18-2 burst, which Loyer capped with a three-point play with 5:39 left in the half. Purdue made 7 of 9 shots from the floor during the run.
The Boilermakers led 39-28 at the break after shooting 50 percent from the floor. Smith had 17 points and Loyer had 12, with each player making three 3-pointers.
Wilson had seven first-half points for the Rockets, who fell to 36.4 percent shooting for the half after making 5 of 9 to begin the game.
–Field Level Media
