Live Blog: Follow No. 13 Purdue vs. No. 2 Alabama in Real Time
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A major college basketball matchup is on tap Friday night. No. 13 Purdue hosts No. 2 Alabama at Mackey Arena, one of the premier nonconference games of the college basketball season.
Both Purdue and Alabama enter Friday night's contest with 3-0 records. The Boilermakers and Crimson Tide would both love to add a signature win to their early-season resumé before heading into the weekend.
It should make for a fun night from West Lafayette. Follow along as we provide updates about the game throughout the evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on Peacock (All times ET).
Helpful links: Purdue basketball roster & Purdue basketball schedule
9:05 PM — FINAL: Purdue 87, Alabama 78. Purdue was led by Trey Kaufman-Renn, who had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith each scored 17 points and CJ Cox came off the bench to score 11. Alabama was led by Labaron Philon, who scored 18 points. Mark Sears ended the game with 12. Purdue is 4-0.
9:02 PM — Mark Sears makes a layup and Alabama takes a timeout with 25.7 seconds left. Purdue leads 86-78.
8:57PM — Alabama misses a corner 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes to play. Alabama's Labaron Philon picks up his fifth foul and is done for the game. He finishes the night with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Caleb Furst heads to the free throw line with 2:02 to play.
8:51 PM — Purdue leads 78-71 with 3:20 to play in the game.
8:42 PM — We've reached the under-8 media timeout and Purdue leads 72-68.
8:38 PM — Purdue has gotten a major spark from freshman CJ Cox, who has buried 3 straight 3-pointers. The Boilermakers are on a 13-0 run and lead 72-65 with 8:17 left to play. Alabama takes a timeout.
8:35 PM — CJ Cox makes a huge 3-pointer and is fouled on the play. He misses the free throw attempt but his shot gives Purdue a 66-65 lead. The two teams continue to trade punches.
8:33 PM — Trey Kaufman-Renn missed both free throws and Alabama's Aden Holloway knocks downa triple. That's a huge swing and gives Alabama a 65-59 lead.
8:29 PM — Alabama has been shooting the ball much more effectively to start the second half. The Crimson Tide own a 62-59 lead at the under-12 timeout. Trey Kaufman-Renn will have two free throws out of the break. Alabaam freshman Labaron Philon is having a stellar game, scoring 18 points and shooting 7-of-9 from the floor.
8:22 PM — Braden Smith dives over the media table to save the basketball. He gets a standing ovation from the Mackey Arena crowd. Officials are reviewing the play.
8:17 PM — Fletcher is on fire right now. He's accounted for 7 of Purdue's 9 points out of halftime. He was fouled on a drive to the basket, giving him an and-1 opportunity. The score is tied 51-51 and Loyer gets a free throw out of the break. We're at the under-16 media timeout.
8:13 PM — Alabama has put together a quick 6-2 run out of the locker room and taken a 46-44 advantage.
8:05 PM — An observation from the first half that may not be noticeable on the broadcast, Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk (essentially Purdue's defensive coordinator) has been very active on the sidelines tonight when the Boilers have been on the defensive end.
7:53 PM — HALFTIME: Purdue 42, Alabama 40. Fletcher Loyer hits a huge 3-pointer as time expires to give the Boilermakers a 2-point advantage at half. Purdue was led by Trey Kaufman-Renn with 13 points and Loyer added 10. Alabama was led by Mark Sears and Labaron Philon, both with 10 points.
7:44 PM — Will Berg picks up his third foul while trying to block a shot. He heads to the bench and Caleb Furst checks back in. Boilers lead 33-32.
7:42 PM — Gene Keady is shown on the jumbotron at Mackey Arena and gets a loud applause from the crowd.
7:39 PM — Timeout Purdue. Both teams settling in offensively. The Boilermakers lead 31-30, but the Crimson Tide seem to have found a bit of a rhythm on the offensive side of the court.
7:37 PM — Alabama gets its first 3-pointer of the game from Labaron Philon. The Crimson Tide are now 1-of-7 from behind the arc.
7:33 PM — Raleigh Burgess hits the biggest bucket of his early Purdue career, knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Boilermakers a 26-21 lead at the under-8 media timeout.
7:27 PM — A double foul is called on Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn and Alabama's Jarin Stevenson. That's significant for the Boilermakers, as now Will Berg and Kaufman-Renn each have two fouls. That puts a lot of pressure on Caleb Furst and Raleigh Burgess in the post.
7:25 PM — Purdue has picked up the defensively intensity tonight, at least through the first 10 minutes. The ball hasn't bounced their way on a few rebounds and loose balls. The Boilermakers lead 17-15 after a pair of made free throws from Alabama's Mouhamed Dioubate.
7:19 PM — At the second media timeout, Purdue owns a 15-11 lead. Alabama is shooting just 4-of-13 from the floor and has yet to make a shot from behind the 3-point line. Braden Smith and Caleb Furst are Purdue's leading scorers with 6 and 4 points, respectively. Cliff Omoruyi leads the way for Alabama with 4 points.
7:12 PM — Caleb Furst comes in and immediately makes an impact. He gets an and-1 opportunity but misses the free throw. His bucket gives the Boilermakers a 7-4 lead on the Crimson Tide.
7:10 PM — 2025 signee Antione West Jr. is in attendance for tonight's game. He received a standing ovation when introduced by the public address announcer. He's a 3-star guard from Toledo, Ohio.
7:09 PM — Purdue owns a 5-2 lead at the first media timeout. Neither team shooting particularly well, going a combined 3-for-14. Boilermakers center Will Berg is in early foul trouble with two fouls.
7:04 PM — As the shot clock was expiring, junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn put up a desperation heave that went in for the first basket of the game. Purdue opens the game up 3-0.
6:45 PM — Alabama's starting five: G Mark Sears, G Latrell Wrightsell Jr., F Grant Nelson, F Jarin Stevenson, Cliff Omoruyi.
6:35 PM — Purdue's starting five: G Braden Smith, G Fletcher Loyer, G Gicarri Harris, F Trey Kaufman-Renn and C Will Berg.
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