Braden Smith leads 2nd-half charge in No. 5 Purdue's 79-72 comeback victory over Iowa

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Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) high-fives head coach Matt Painter, left, after forcing a turnover against Iowa during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates after being fouled by Iowa during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) — Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) high-fives head coach Matt Painter, left, after forcing a turnover against Iowa during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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8:47 PM on Wednesday, January 14

By MICHAEL MAROT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Braden Smith scored all 16 of his points in the second half and tied the Big Ten record for assists in conference play, and No. 5 Purdue overcame a nine-point to beat Iowa 79-72 on Wednesday night.

Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points, Fletcher Loyer had 11 and Oscar Cluff 10 to help the Boilermakers (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) win their eighth straight game. They have won their first six conference games for only the fifth time since 1940.

Smith finished the game with 478 assists in league games — the same number former Michigan State player Cassius Winston had.

Bennett Stirtz had 19 points to lead Iowa (12-5, 2-4). Kael Combs added 16 points as the Hawkeyes lost their third in a row overall, fell to 0-4 against ranked teams this season and extended their losing streak against top-10 opponents to 10 since 2021-22.

The Hawkeyes certainly had their chances to join Iowa State as the only teams to beat Purdue on its home court this season. They used a 10-0 run to take a 48-39 lead with 14:36 to play only to watch Smith take charge during a 14-4 run that put Purdue back in front 53-52 with 9:33 left.

Iowa retook the lead two more times, 58-57 and 61-59, and tied the score at 64 on Tate Sage's 3-pointer at the 5:17 mark.

But Kaufman-Renn broke the tie by making one of two free throws, Smith fed Cluff for a layup, Loyer added two free throws and Smith's two free throws with 1:04 left sealed it.

Up next

Iowa: At Indiana on Saturday

Purdue: At Southern California on Saturday night.

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