PHOTO GALLERY: Pictures From Purdue's Victory Over New Orleans
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The No. 1-ranked Purdue basketball team improved to 12-0 on the season after taking down New Orleans 74-53 on Wednesday night at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers were without junior center Zach Edey due to an illness, but they still managed to have nine different players score points in the win. Redshirt freshman forward Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way with a career-high 24 points.
"It's definitely a huge adjustment not being able to throw it to the best player in college basketball," said freshman guard Braden Smith, who finished with eight points. "That's kind of tough, but we're gonna figure it out either way. We're gonna knock down shots and we're gonna do our thing no matter what, whether he's there or if he's not."
Junior forward Mason Gillis also scored 11 points in the matchup, recording just his second game this season in double figures. Purdue finished the game shooting 55.6% from the field after taking control with a dominant 24-2 run to end the first half.
The Boilermakers had the advantage on the boards, earning a 24-18 rebounding advantage while scoring 38 points in the paint and getting 36 total points from their bench players.
"We've just kind of learned that it's next man up," Gillis said. "You gotta be able to do your job, understand what the team needs from you to win."
Purdue will have one final nonconference opponent before entering the bulk of its Big Ten schedule. The team will welcome Florida A&M to Markey Arena on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 4 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Photo Gallery: No. 1 Purdue 74, New Orleans 53
Mason Gillis
Caleb Furst
Matt Painter
Fletcher Loyer
Caleb Furst
Trey Kaufman-Renn
Brandon Newman
Matt Painter
Trey Kaufman-Renn
Brandon Newman
Trey Kaufman-Renn
Brandon Newman
Braden Smith
Caleb Furst
Mason Gillis
David Jenkins Jr.
Ethan Morton
Braden Smith
Mason Gillis
Caleb Furst
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Kaufman-Renn Shines for Purdue in Win Over New Orleans: Redshirt freshman forward Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a career-high 24 points as Purdue dominated New Orleans on Wednesday night at Mackey Arena. Junior center Zach Edey missed the game due to an illness, but the Boilermakers improved to 12-0 on the season. CLICK HERE
- Purdue, New Orleans Live Blog: No. 1 Purdue basketball was back at Mackey Arena on Wednesday night for a matchup with New Orleans. Relive some of the action from our live blog, straight from press row. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Remains No. 1 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll: After a victory over Davidson in the 2022 Indy Classic on Saturday, Purdue basketball remained No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Boilermakers are 11-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play so far this season. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.