Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) looks to shoot as USC forward Josh Cohen (33) defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC forward Saint Thomas (0) drives against Purdue forward Camden Heide, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) falls after being fouled while going for a rebound with Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC guard Wesley Yates III (6) drives on Purdue forward Raleigh Burgess (34) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue guard Myles Colvin (5) hangs from the rim after a dunk over USC forward Josh Cohen (33) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC forward Josh Cohen looks to shoot over Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) goes up to shoot over Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer celebrates after making a 3-point shot against USC during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC guard Wesley Yates III shoots as Purdue forward Caleb Furst defends during the first half of their Big Ten game on Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind. Yates had a career-high 30 points in a 90-72 loss. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue guard Braden Smith looks to pass around USC guard Chibuzo Agbo (7) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, center, fights for the ball with USC forward Josh Cohen (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer (2) drives between USC guard Clark Slajchert (32) and guard Isaiah Elohim (2) defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC head coach Eric Musselman watches from the sideline after receiving a technical foul during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) shoots over USC forward Josh Cohen (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
USC guard Wesley Yates III handles the ball as Purdue guard C.J. Cox defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) shoots as USC guard Chibuzo Agbo (7) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Former Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Purdue and USC in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) looks to shoot as USC forward Josh Cohen (33) defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A monster night from sophomore Wesley Yates III wasn’t nearly enough for the short-handed USC men’s basketball team on Friday night.
Yates scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the first half, but a Trojans squad playing without leading scorer Desmond Claude was no match for seventh-ranked Purdue in a 90-72 loss at Mackey Arena.
Trey Kaufman-Renn had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Boilermakers (19-5 overall, 11-2 Big Ten), who overwhelmed USC in the paint on the way to their fourth straight win and 11th in their past 12 games. Fletcher Loyer added 14 points for Purdue, which outrebounded the Trojans 48-31. Braden Smith and Caleb Furst each just missed joining Kaufman-Renn with double-doubles. Smith finished with nine points and a team-high 13 assists, and Furst added had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Yates, whose previous high was 21 points, had to play much of the second half with four fouls after he picked up his fourth with 16:25 minutes left. Isaiah Elohim added 11 points and Jalen Shelley had 10 points and six rebounds for USC (13-10, 5-7), which trailed by as much as 26 and lost its second in a row since upsetting then-No. 7 Michigan State last weekend.
Claude, a 6-foot-6 junior guard (16.2 ppg), has been battling a knee injury and also sat out Tuesday’s 77-75 loss at Northwestern.
The conference-leading Boilermakers established dominance of the lane early to take a double-digit lead less than seven minutes into the game.
Purdue pulled ahead 21-10 with 18 of its points coming from inside. The Boilermakers outscored USC in the paint 52-36 for the night and nearly had as many points in the key by halftime (32) as the Trojans had in total (36).
Kaufman-Renn set the tone, shooting 7 for 9 from the floor in the first half for 14 points. The Boilermakers shot 67% in the first half to build a 48-36 lead by halftime.
Both teams struggled from 3-point range: USC shot 4 for 26, while Purdue was 6 for 26, but USC also went just 16 for 29 from the free-throw line. Clark Slajchert, who scored a season-high 24 points on Tuesday, shot 0 for 6 from 3-point range and 2 for 10 from the floor on his way to seven points.
Purdue, which has won 29 of its last 30 home games, moved two games up in the win column over Michigan State and Michigan in its quest for a third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.
UP NEXT
USC plays host to Penn State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Galen Center.
