Homefield — March Madness

Queens (NC)No. 15

PurdueNo. 2

FinaltruT

104

46.2%

28.0%

3PT

REB

AST

63.1%

58.3%

3PT

REB

AST

15-seeds have won 11 of 160 games vs 2-seeds (6.9%). Rare, but when it happens -- think Oral Roberts (2021), Saint Peter's (2022) -- it's the stuff of legend.

Braden Smith Dismantles Queens Before Halftime

Purdue handled Queens 104-71, with Braden Smith's surgical 26-point, 8-assist performance and a 22-rebound edge making this a blowout well before the final buzzer.

Smith finished 10-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three, and what made him genuinely difficult to guard was the combination: he could pull up from the logo or knife into the paint for a layup on the same possession read, and Queens had no answer for either option across 32 minutes.

Trey Kaufman-Renn was the complementary piece Queens was even less equipped to handle -- 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting in just 25 minutes, with three offensive rebounds that extended possessions at critical moments in the second half when any hope of a comeback was already fading.

Purdue's 15-to-8 offensive rebounding advantage was the quiet killer: Queens had 10 steals and actually committed fewer turnovers than Purdue, meaning they disrupted possessions, just not enough of them, and with seven players unavailable due to undisclosed injuries, a roster that arrived undersized got physically overwhelmed inside by a team shooting 63.1 percent from the field.

Game Story

The Purdue Boilermakers rolled to a dominant 104-71 victory over the Queens (NC) Royals.•Braden Smith led all scorers with 26 points along with 8 assists.•Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points.•Purdue blew the game open with a 59-38 2nd half.•Purdue was far more efficient, shooting 63.1% compared to just 46.2% for Queens (NC).•The Boilermakers were hot from deep, draining 14 three-pointers at 58.3%.•Purdue moved the ball beautifully with 24 assists.•Purdue won the rebounding battle decisively, out-rebounding Queens (NC) 41-19.•Queens (NC)'s bench outscored Purdue's 30-19.•The Purdue Boilermakers rolled to a dominant 104-71 victory over the Queens (NC) Royals.•Braden Smith led all scorers with 26 points along with 8 assists.•Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points.•Purdue blew the game open with a 59-38 2nd half.•Purdue was far more efficient, shooting 63.1% compared to just 46.2% for Queens (NC).•The Boilermakers were hot from deep, draining 14 three-pointers at 58.3%.•Purdue moved the ball beautifully with 24 assists.•Purdue won the rebounding battle decisively, out-rebounding Queens (NC) 41-19.•Queens (NC)'s bench outscored Purdue's 30-19.•