Purdue Picks Up First Road Win of Season With Big 2nd Half vs. Minnesota
It had to wait until January, but No. 20 Purdue finally picked up its first road win of the 2024-25 season. The Boilermakers outscored Minnesota by 19 points in the second half to secure an 81-61 victory over the Golden Gophers.
Fletcher Loyer led Purdue with 24 points, making eight-of-10 shots from the floor. Braden Smith posted another double-double, finishing the night with 20 points and 10 assists. Trey Kaufman-Renn ended the game with 17 points.
Once again, Purdue's "Big 3" led the way in scoring, but Caleb Furst was the unsung hero of the night for the Boilers. The senior forward made his first start since the 2022-23 season and scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and was outstanding on the defensive end of the floor.
Despite the lopsided final score, Purdue struggled with Minnesota for 30 minutes. The Boilermakers owned just a 28-27 advantage at the half. With less than 11 minutes to play, Purdue's lead was 47-43.
That's when things broke open. Kaufman-Renn, Smith and Furst scored on consecutive possessions, pushing Purdue's lead to 54-43. It was the spark to a 14-2 run that propelled the Boilers to a 16-point lead with less than eight minutes to play, essentially sealing the win.
Purdue rediscovered its recipe for success in Minneapolis on Thursday night. The Boilers finished the game with just three turnovers and held Minnesota to only four fastbreak points. Purdue also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Gophers 34-31.
As coach Matt Painter has said all season, those are two statistical categories that are crucial to getting wins. It helped Purdue grab its first road win of the year.
Not many will be impressed with a conference win over Minnesota, but this seemed like a positive step for the Boilers. After struggling in games against Texas A&M and Auburn, Purdue was able to find some of its mojo again.
Will it provide the spark that the Boilers seemed to have lost in the month of December? We may find out Sunday, when they host a talented Northwestern team at Mackey Arena.
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