Despite shooting for their lowest field goal percentage in any game this year and connecting on only two shots from three-point distance, the 17th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers outlasted the #13 Oregon Ducks on the road and ground out a 65-58 triumph on Saturday afternoon. The 33.9% accuracy from the field in Eugene easily qualified for the worst of 2024-25, surpassing the 39.0% imprecision they displayed in their loss to Auburn in December.
The game, which was the definition of “winning ugly,” featured two of the most tenured coaches, Oregon’s Dana Altman (15 years in Eugene) and Purdue’s Matt Painter (20 years for the Boilermakers), in all of college basketball.
The win, Purdue’s seventh in a row, vaulted the Boilers into sole possession of second place in the Big 10 with a 7-1 conference record to go along with their 15-4 mark in all games. Should Michigan State stumble against Illinois on Sunday, Purdue would slide into a virtual tie with the Spartans atop the standings.
Although he missed his first seven shots, Boilermaker forward Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with a game-high 20 points, thanks in large part to hitting all nine of his free throw attempts. Braden Smith, who did not hit a three-point attempt, chipped in 15 points and seven assists. Camden Heide provided a spark off the bench, contributing nine points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
The loss dropped Oregon to 4-3 in Big 10 action and 15-3 overall.
The shooting display offered by Purdue was not pretty, but Oregon certainly did not burn the nets, either. The Ducks only shot 36.0% and did not do themselves any favors by committing 16 turnovers and being outrebounded by the Boilermakers 37-32.
Saturday marked the seventh straight game that the Boilermakers held their opponents under 68 points.
Freshman guard C.J. Cox was awarded the job of defending Oregon’s star guard, sophomore Jackson Shelstad, who averaged 21.3 points per game over his last three contests. Cox and others held Shelstad to only four made field goals and 15 points on Saturday.
The first ten minutes of the game saw the lead go back and forth and ultimately tie at 14 after Oregon’s Nate Bittle drilled a three-pointer at 10:31 remaining in the half. Fletcher Loyer drained his only connection from distance to knot the score at 19, followed by a Smith jumper to complete a modest 5-0 run.
Gicarri Harris made a free throw at the 3:17 mark to make it 30-27 in favor of the Boilers, but Purdue would not score another point for the rest of the way, and the Ducks claimed a 31-30 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, Oregon scored on their first possession, but Purdue stormed back and went on a 9-0 run to take a 39-33 lead with 13:29 left. Caleb Furst scored two baskets during that stretch, including a monster dunk in traffic.
From there, Purdue made their free throws down the stretch and limited Oregon to just 24.1% shooting from three-point land when the Ducks were attempting their comeback. The 25 made free throws by the Boilermakers were just one shy of their season-best.
After their West Coast swing, the Purdue basketball squad gets to come home and sleep in their own beds for the next two weeks; their next road game is on February 4 at Iowa. Home games against Ohio State on Tuesday, Michigan on Friday, and archrival Indiana on January 31 allow the Boilermakers to comfortably manage a difficult stretch in their Big 10 schedule.
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