ST. LOUIS — — Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to a 104-71 win over Queens University on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn‘s basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue’s lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play.
Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way.
About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.
“I don’t think it’s really set in because to me, again, it’s it’s my job. That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Smith said. “It’s why I came here. As a point guard, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to get guys the ball to go score. And obviously I have a lot of great people around me that can do that.”
Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from 3-point range.
“I’ve been very thankful and blessed to be put in a position where people trust me with the ball in my hands, and my teammates trust me, the coaching staff trusts me, and obviously I trust myself enough to go make shots,” Smith said.
Coach Matt Painter called Hurley “quintessential point guard” and said the fact his record stood for three decades reinforces that.
“He’s a phenomenal player and you can see it on the court, how under control he is,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said of Smith.
Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue.
Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.
“It was an unbelievable season,” Leonard said. “Usually only one team ends happy, but our guys can hang their heads high.”
Painter will go for his 500th Purdue victory in the next round of the West Region against either No. 7 seed Miami or 10th-seeded Missouri. The Boilermakers are seeking their third straight trip to round of 16 and seventh in nine years.
The other two years featured quick exits as a No. 2 seed against Saint Peter’s in 2022 and as a No. 1 seed against Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.
There was no such magic from Queens.
The 1,500-student school from Charlotte, North Carolina, which began as a women’s institute, is the smallest, by enrollment, to ever play in the NCAA Tournament. It won the Atlantic Sun tournament for a spot in the bracket in its first year of Division I eligibility.
“We did a lot. We fought through a lot of adversity, and it’s been unbelievable so far,” Mann said. “I know we didn’t have the outcome we wanted today, but we still did the unbelievable. Coming from a small school, 1,500 students, and we made it.”
The Boilermakers never trailed, making baskets on their first six possessions without much resistance from the nation’s 349th-ranked scoring defense. Still, the Royals stayed within striking distance for much of the first half.
Purdue finally pulled away by scoring 10 straight points, including two 3s and a pair of free throws from C.J. Cox, stretching the lead to 45-30 late in the half. Chris Ashby‘s 3-pointer on the final possession for Queens cut the deficit to 12 at intermission. ——
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