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#18 Purdue Advances to Title Game with Win over UCLA#18 Purdue Advances to Title Game with Win over UCLA

#18 Purdue Advances to Title Game with Win over UCLA

Box Score

#18 Purdue 73, UCLA 66 (Postgame Notes)

  • 18-ranked and seventh-seeded Purdue advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game with a 73-66 win over No. 6-seed UCLA on Saturday afternoon at the United Center.
  • The win moves Purdue’s record to 26-8 overall and advances Purdue to its second title-game appearance in the last four seasons (2023 – champions).
  • UCLA led today for 48 seconds (2-0), the first time in the Big Ten Tournament that Purdue has trailed. In 120 minutes of play, Purdue has trailed for a total of 48 seconds.
  • With the win over the Bruins, Purdue has won six straight games in the United Center, after winning the tournament title in the 2023 tournament played in Chicago.
  • The six straight wins in the building are the longest for a team in the United Center since the Chicago Bulls won nine straight home games from Nov. 2021 to Jan. 2022.
  • Purdue is now 10-3 in the Big Ten Tournament since the 2022 event and the senior class of Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith have set a school record with eight victories in the Big Ten Tournament (8-2 record).
  • Purdue will be making its seventh appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, posting a 2-4 record. Purdue made appearances in 1998, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2026.
  • Purdue is just 1-5 all-time against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, losing in the championship game in 1998 and 2018.
  • Purdue is first No. 7-seed to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
  • Purdue is the only team to have won at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
  • Purdue improved to 21-1 when holding opponents under 48 percent shooting.
  • Purdue is 17-1 when holding foes to 69 or fewer points this season.
  • Oscar Cluff recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 17 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. When Cluff secures a double-double, Purdue is 10-0 this season.
  • Trey Kaufman-Renn also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, good for his 11th of the season. When Kaufman-Renn records a double-double this season, Purdue is 10-1 (lone loss to Michigan).
  • Braden Smith dished out nine more assists and now has 1,064 for his career, needing 12 more dimes to tie Bobby Hurley for first place on the NCAA career assists list. Smith set a record for most assists in a single Big Ten Tournament with 35.
  • Fletcher Loyer scored 14 points, going 4-of-10 from long range. When Loyer makes four or more 3-pointers in a game during his career, Purdue is 25-2. Loyer has made at least two 3-pointers in 14 straight games and is shooting 23-of-50 (.460) from long range over the last six games.

CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 18 Purdue beat short-handed UCLA 73-66 on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.

Cluff scored eight points as Purdue (26-8) outscored UCLA (23-11) 11-4 over the final 3:41. Fletcher Loyer scored 14. Braden Smith contributed nine more assists, giving him 1,064 in his career. He needs 13 to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record of 1,076 for Duke from 1989-93.

Trey Kaufman-Ren added 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping Purdue advance to the conference final for the first time since winning the tournament in Chicago in 2023. The Boilermakers will meet No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines, seeking a championship repeat, beat No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 when Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.

Already missing star Tyler Bilodeau after he exited Friday’s win over No. 8 Michigan State with a right leg injury, UCLA had to get by in the second half without guard Donovan Dent. He strained a calf and was limited to two points in 10 minutes after scoring 23 and dishing out 12 assists against the Spartans.

Trent Perry led UCLA with 15 points. Xavier Booker scored 12, and Eric Dailey Jr. had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Trailing 58-48, UCLA went on a 12-2 run and tied it at 60 on Perry’s jumper with 4:33 remaining. It was 62-all when Purdue’s Oscar Cluff scored on a tip-in, C.J. Cox drove for a layup and Cluff scored on a put-back with just over two minutes remaining.

UCLA’s Skyy Clark then made it a four-point game with a layup. But Cluff made four free throws in the final 43 seconds, and the Boilermakers got some payback for a two-point loss at Pauley Pavilion in January.