By  JOHN BOHNENKAMP
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Braden Smith had 31 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 25 as No. 7 Purdue beat Iowa 90-81 on Tuesday night.
The Boilermakers (18-5, 10-2 Big Ten) won their third consecutive game, pulling away from a 36-all halftime deadlock with a 17-5 run early in the second half.
The Hawkeyes (13-9, 4-7) got within 80-77 with 2:42 left in the game but the Boilermakers held them off.
Iowa, which lost leading scorer and rebounder Owen Freeman to a season-ending hand injury on Monday, kept pace with Purdue in first half. The Hawkeyes led 36-31 with 1:13 to play before the Boilermakers scored the last five points of the half, with Smith hitting a 3-pointer as time ran out.
Caleb Furst added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Purdue.
Josh Dix led the Hawkeyes with 27 points and Payton Sandfort had 23.
Takeaways
Purdue: The Boilermakers were the first team to reach 10 wins in conference play behind Smith and Kaufman-Renn, who got what they wanted all night against Iowa’s defense.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes missed Freeman inside, although they got quality minutes from junior Riley Mulvey, making the first start of his college career. Iowa was outrebounded 33-26 against the Boilermakers, who have won 10 of the last 12 in the series.
Key moment
The game was tied at 41 when Smith and Loyer hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a 30-second span, starting the key run for the Boilermakers. Purdue made 8 of its first 9 shots in the second half, including 5 of 5 on 3-pointers.
Key stat
Smith and Kaufman-Renn were a combined 21 of 33 from the field. Purdue shot 55% for the game.
(Photo above): Iowa forward Riley Mulvey fights for a rebound with Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Up next
Purdue: Hosts USC on Friday night.
Iowa: Hosts No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday.
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