Rutgers Basketball, for the second year in a row, walked into Mackey Arena and left beaten down after an unconscious shooting effort from No. 18 Purdue.
After a 96-68 win last year, the Boilermakers (21-9, 13-6) one-upped their efforts this time around, winning 100-71 and blitzing the Scarlet Knights (14-16, 7-12) from the perimeter, putting the game out of reach by the midway point of the second half.
Purdue finished the game shooting 37-for-66 from the floor and 18-for-36 from the three-point line, led by Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer's 23 points, each making seven treys. Smith also finished with nine assists in 32 minutes. Trey Kaufman-Renn made most of his impact in the first half, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds.
On Senior Night in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers stamped a statement victory in Rutgers' penultimate regular season game.
The Scarlet Knights' freshmen duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey led the way in scoring, finishing in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Harper battled foul trouble yet again, while Bailey scored just two points on 1-for-3 shooting from the floor in the second half.
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The Boilermakers sprang ahead in the first half thanks to a nuclear offensive effort, heading into the locker room with 50 points on 18-for-26 (69%) shooting from the floor and 11-for-17 (65%) from beyond the arc.
Rutgers kept pace in the first half but eventually the shots stopped falling. The Scarlet Knights were within three points with six minutes remaining in the first half, but made just two field goals in the final five minutes as Purdue extended the lead to nine points at the half.
For a stretch in the first half, Kaufman-Renn was the lone Boilermaker to attempt a two-pointer, starting 5-for-5 from the floor while the rest of Purdue's players started 8-for-12 from the three-point line.
While Rutgers' offense started hot, similar to many other games this year, it faded as the game went on, while the Scarlet Knights' defense continued to struggle. Nearly every three-pointer the Boilermakers attempted was wide open, with plenty of points in transition.
They were outscored 50-30 in the second half.
The Boilermakers also had one of their best offensive rebounding games of the season, with their 15 offensive boards ranking as the second-most of the season, while also leading to 18 second-chance points.
This blowout loss now sets up Rutgers in a precarious position for a Big Ten Tournament berth, needing a win at Minnesota to safely secure a spot. In the past two games, the Scarlet Knights' porous defense ended any chance of winning despite hot starts and cold finishes from the offense.
With the loss, Rutgers secures its second consecutive losing regular season.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME
Ace Bailey throws down the ridiculous reverse dunk on Camden Heide.
UP NEXT?
The Scarlet Knights return home on Sunday for Senior Day and the final regular season game, hosting Minnesota at Jersey Mike's Arena.
The game will tip off at 1pm EST and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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