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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 21 points and eight rebounds, and fourth-seeded Purdue held off High Point for a 75-63 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith added 20 points and six assists as Purdue (23-11) avoided a first-round exit after reaching the championship game last season. The Boilermakers will meet the winner of Clemson and McNeese State in the second round of the Midwest Region on Saturday.
D’Maurian Williams had 12 points for No. 13 seed High Point (29-6), which had won 14 straight. Trae Benham added 11 points.
The game was tight throughout the first half before Purdue used a 17-7 surge to take a 37-27 halftime lead.
High Point cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 59-56 on a dunk by Juslin Bodo Bodo with 7:47 left. But Kaufman-Renn slowed High Point's surge with a tough fadeaway jumper — part of a 7-0 spurt for the Boilermakers.
“The game was so back and forth the entire time and I think me and Trey and all these other guys who have been through it, we understand how to keep our composure and stay with the game," Smith said.
Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said the leadership of his veteran players was key.
“You get into trouble when you don’t move into the next play,” Painter said. “We all get caught into it. The crowd gets into it or it gets to be a close game, you can still do your job.”
Takeaways
High Point: The Panthers have much to build on after making the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. The program made the move up to Division I in 1999 but hadn’t been able to break through before coach Alan Huss got the team into the field in his second season. Huss could be a hot commodity in the offseason coaching carousel.
Purdue: Seniors Smith, Caleb Furst and Fletcher Loyer were freshmen in 2023 when the Boilermakers became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed. All three were key in helping steady the Boilermakers down the stretch.
Worth watching
Huss believes how his staff used the transfer portal to bring in experienced players over the first two years is a formula than can be replicated.
“We certainly hope so,” Huss said. “Doesn’t matter where you come from. If you come to High Point, you’re going to have an experience that’s better than where you came from.”
Paint domination
The Boilermakers did most of their damage underneath the basket. They owned a 45-24 rebounding edge and outscored the Panthers 38-22 in the paint.
“That’s what won us the game,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I think we have done a better job lately on rebounding, put more of an emphasis on it from a player standpoint and we got to keep that up if we want to keep winning.”
Up next
Purdue is back in the tournament for the 16th time and 10th consecutive season under Painter, who is looking for his first NCAA title.
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