WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An enviornment identified for noise was oddly quiet when a referee, sad with all of the contact between the submit gamers, reached his arm out to separate UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau from Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Seizing upon the second together with his crew needing a lift, Kaufman-Renn waved his arms to lift the decibel degree inside Mackey Area and the followers complied.
With one transfer after one other, Kaufman-Renn offered all of the extra cause to rock the place.
He made a tricky, contested baseline leap hook. Then one other leap hook.
What had been a taut, back-and-forth battle was all of a sudden tilting closely within the Boilermakers’ path.
When Camden Heide added a three-pointer, No. 20 Purdue was forward by 9 factors and nicely on the way in which to a 76-66 victory on Friday night time that primarily ended the Bruins’ hopes of a top-four end within the Large Ten and an accompanying double bye within the convention match.
Kaufman-Renn was a menace irrespective of who the Bruins assigned to defend him, ending with 29 factors on 11-for-15 capturing to assist Purdue (20-9 general, 12-6 Large Ten) finish its four-game shedding streak. He sparked the Boilermakers’ 12-0 run that reworked a one-point deficit into an 11-point lead with two free throws and his leap hooks.
In the meantime, the Bruins stored capturing leap pictures that had been off the mark. UCLA missed six of seven pictures earlier than Aday Mara made a leap hook with 3:23 left and the Bruins went the last 2:33 with out a subject purpose.
Bilodeau completed with 15 factors and Sebastian Mack scored all 10 of his factors within the first half for the Bruins (20-9, 11-7), who shot 48% to the Boilermakers’ 51.9%. UCLA outrebounded Purdue by eight however largely offset that margin by committing 5 extra turnovers.
UCLA couldn’t conjure any magic in its return to the spot on John R. Wood Drive that sparked its 2021 run from the First 4 to the Closing 4, a statue of the “Indiana Rubber Man” exterior the sector serving as a tribute to the previous Boilermakers star.
However for a couple of minutes within the second half, it seemed just like the Bruins might need one thing particular working right here.
Having as soon as trailed by 10 factors and showing on the verge of being blown out, UCLA took its first lead shortly after halftime. Dylan Andrews drove and handed to Bilodeau for a layup by which he was fouled, the ensuing three-point play giving the Bruins a 42-40 benefit.
Kobe Johnson performed a giant half within the comeback, throwing a ravishing outlet go to Eric Dailey Jr. for a dunk, rising for a three-pointer on the finish of the shot clock and zipping a pleasant bounce go to William Kyle III for one more dunk.
The beginning couldn’t have gone any worse for Johnson or the Bruins.
On their first possession, Skyy Clark grabbed an offensive rebound earlier than getting tied up for a turnover on the alternating possession. On their second possession, Johnson threw a nasty go that was stolen. On their third possession, a Clark go was stolen. On their fourth possession, Johnson traveled.
4 UCLA possessions, 4 turnovers.
Purdue mixed the additional possessions with some sizzling capturing to surge to a 29-19 lead. However a turning level got here when UCLA’s Dailey, Bilodeau and Lazar Stefanovic every grabbed an offensive rebound on the identical possession, resulting in a Mack three-pointer.
The rebounding spree was emblematic of a primary half by which the Bruins dominated in that division, outrebounding the Boilermakers, 20-7. UCLA’s successful massive on the boards — the Bruins’ 10 offensive rebounds exceeded Purdue’s whole — was all of the extra spectacular on condition that Mara performed solely three minutes after getting crushed a few occasions on protection and taking part in a component in a busted choose and roll.
Mack earned a primary bump from coach Mick Cronin at halftime after making all 4 of his pictures on the way in which to 10 factors. The Bruins had been down solely 37-35 after committing 9 turnovers and permitting the Boilermakers to shoot 60%.
It will get higher for UCLA earlier than getting a lot, a lot worse.
