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

Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) shoots over Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

MICHAEL MAROT | Associated Press

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.

HEAR FROM IOWA HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“I thought we came out and played well. I thought our offense was clicking, again, we got it kind of corrected a little bit, which was great. I thought defensively we were good for about 30 minutes and then we just decided we weren’t going to be in ball screen coverage anymore, and they were able to get downhill.

I think as you learn how to win, those are some things that you need be able to do late in games, get big, tough stops, and we were just not good enough tonight to be able to do that. I’m hopeful that we stick with what we’ve been doing, and we get a little bit better. It was good for the most part, but I look at these turnovers, 13 turnovers, isn’t good enough on the road. Obviously, the free throw differential continues to be a thing, so we just have to get a little better.”

IOWA GAME NOTES

In a game that featured nine ties and 14 lead changes, No. 5 Purdue held off Iowa, winning, 79-72, on Wednesday night inside Mackey Arena.
The Hawkeyes had three players finish in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (19), Kael Combs (16), Cam Manyawu (13).
- Combs scored a career high 16 points, finishing with a career-best six field goals and four 3-pointers. He had a team-high 10 points in the first half.
After Purdue took a 39-38 lead at the 16:45 mark of the second half, the Hawkeyes used a 10-0 spurt over a 1:51 stretch to take a 48-39 lead and force a Boilermaker timeout.
The Boilermakers responded with a 12-2 run to tie the game at 50 with 10:13 to play. The game was tied three times in the final 10 minutes.
Iowa finished with 12 3-point field goals, making 12-of-25 attempts. It was the team’s fifth game with 10 or more 3s.
The Hawkeyes lost for just the second time this season when leading at the half.
Iowa shot 52.9 percent from the floor and lost for just the second time this season when shooting above 50 percent.
The first half featured four ties and seven lead changes with neither team leading by more than five points.
Iowa made 8-of-12 shots over the first 10 minutes, including 5-of-6 3-pointers and shot 54.5 percent from the floor and made 7-of-10 3s in the first half.