ST. LOUIS − Purdue basketball rocked Miami like a hurricane in the second half.
The result?
More March Madness for the Sweet 16-bound Boilermakers after a 79-69 victory over Miami at Enterprise Center on Sunday.
It took late first half heroics from sophomore guard CJ Cox and a much-improved second half defense to fend off the Hurricanes, who led 40-38 at halftime. After shooting 51.5% in the first half, Purdue's defense limited Miami to 36.7% over the final 20 minutes.
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 56.8 seconds to seal the Boilers' third straight Sweet 16 appearance.
West Region No. 2 seed Purdue travels to San Jose for the Sweet 16, where it will play No. 11 seed Texas.
Purdue basketball March Madness turning point vs. Miami
Miami went from down seven to up seven, outscoring Purdue 24-10 over a 10:07 span to take a 36-29 lead. CJ Cox's three 3-pointers in the span of 1:37 tied the score at 38, but Tre Donaldson's halftime buzzer beater kept the Hurricanes in front 40-38.
Cox scored 11 points before exiting with 17:04 to go with an apparent right leg injury.
Trey Kaufman-Renn stepped in after Cox was fouled on a fastbreak and made both free throws, capping a 9-0 Purdue run.
How many assists did Braden Smith have vs. Miami?
Braden Smith had 8 assists against Miami. His NCAA career record total is now 1,091. Smith also scored 12 points, but had eight turnovers.
3 Purdue basketball standouts vs. Miami in March Madness
Trey Kaufman-Renn: Miami had no resistance to Kaufman-Renn. He finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Fletcher Loyer: During an early 13-2 run, Loyer scored 10 points. Loyer finished with a game-high 24 points on 6 of 7 shooting.
CJ Cox: Where would the Boilermakers be if not for the run killer? Maybe moving on to next season. The three 3-pointers in a row has become vintage Cox.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn lead Purdue basketball to Sweet 16