Live Game Thread & Updates for Purdue vs. Evansville

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The regular season gets underway for No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday night, as the Boilermakers host Evansville at Mackey Arena. For those wanting to follow along throughout the game, Purdue Boilermakers on SI will provide frequent updates throughout the game.

Refresh the tab and check in frequently for updates throughout Tuesday night's season-opening game.

Evansville vs. #1 Purdue live game blog

Purdue's top performers

Fletcher Loyer — 30 points, 7-of-10 from 3-pt.
Jack Benter — 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Oscar Cluff — 9 points, 10 rebounds
Braden Smith — 6 points, 11 assists

Evansville's top performers

Joshua Hughes — 15 points, 11 rebounds
AJ Casey — 14 points, 9 rebounds
Trent Hundley — 9 points, 3-of-8 from 3-pt.

FINAL: Purdue 82, Evansville 51. The Boilermakers shoot 45% from three-point range and get 30 points from Fletcher Loyer in a lopsided win to begin the season.

50.1 — With less than a minute to play, Aaron Fine gets a driving layup and the crowd at Mackey gives a big cheer.

3:23 — We've reached the final media timeout of the game and Purdue leads 78-43. The Boilermakers will put the finishing touches on a blowout win out of the final timeout.

5:00 — Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Jack Benter, and OScar Cluff exit the game and will likely not return. They get a standing ovation as Purdue leads Evansville 73-40.

6:53 — We've reached the third media timeout of the second half with Purdue owning a 67-37 lead. The Boilermakers owned the middle stretch between the first and second halves to really put this game out of reach. A good start to the 2025-26 campaign.

8:40 — Jack Benter continues to make the right plays. He grabbed another offensive rebound, kicked it out to Fletcher Loyer, who buried his sixth three-pointer of the game. It's been a great night for the redshirt freshman.

11:38 — Media timeout and Purdue leads 59-29. The Boilermakers have really shut the water off on Purple Aces guard Keishon Porter, who is 0-of-8 from the floor. Evansville has also settled for a lot of threes, making just 3-of-23 attempts. Braden Smith has 10 assists.

13:38 — After knocking down three free throws, Fletcher Loyer is the first Boilermaker to reach 20 points for the game. He's at 21 and is replaced by Omer Mayer.

14:46 — Evansville finally gets its first points of the second half, an offensive rebound putback and foul from AJ Casey. It's now 53-25.

15:28 — Evansville still hasn't scored in the second half and we've reached the first media timeout. Oscar Cluff is really getting it rolling now. He's up to 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Boilers. It's a 53-22 lead for Purdue at Mackey.

17:24 — Purdue is getting it done at both ends of the floor. The Boilermakers are off to an 8-0 start in the second half, thanks to a pair of triples from Jack Benter. He's up to 11 points and 5 rebounds. Braden Smith now has 9 assists for the game. Boilers lead 49-22.

2nd half

HALFTIME

Purdue's top performers

Fletcher Loyer — 18 points, 5-of-7 from 3-pt.
Braden Smith — 4 points, 7 assists
Oscar Cluff — 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Jack Benter — 5 points, 4 rebounds

Evansville's top performers

Joshua Hughes — 7 points, 5 rebounds
AJ Casey — 5 points, 3 rebounds

1st half

HALF: Purdue 41, Evansville 22. The Boilermakers closed out the half on a 15-3 run to build a big halftime lead. Fletcher Loyer has been outstanding, scoring 18 points and making 5-of-7 from three-point range. Braden Smith has 7 assists and 4 points. Jack Benter has 5 points and 4 rebounds.

3:48 — Final media timeout of the first half. Fletcher Loyer leads Purdue with 12 points, Braden Smith has 5 assists and Jack Benter has 5 points and 3 rebounds. The Boilers have made 4 of their last 5 shots.

4:06 — Fletcher Loyer knocks down a long three-pointer to give Purdue a 31-19 advantage. Evansville is settling for a lot of three-point attempts tonight, making just 2-of-13.

6:51 — Out of the timeout, Fletcher Loyer ends Purdue's scoring slump with a three-ball.

7:09 — The third media timeout of the first half and Purdue's advantage is just five points at 22-17. Evansville has been able to get 10 points in the paint early. The Boilermakers went with a unique lineup of Omer Mayer, Gicarri Harris, Daniel Jacobsen, CJ Cox, and Liam Murphy.

9:55 — We've reached the second media timeout of the game and Purdue leads 20-14. Boilers shooting 8-of-19 from the floor, but have left some points out there. Daniel Jacobsen and Fletcher Loyer have both missed open threes, Gicarri Harris missed a layup. Joshua Hughes and AJ Casey have been Evansville's offense, combining for 12 points.

13:03 — Omer Mayer checks in for the first time for Purdue.

14:12 — Jack Benter picks up his second foul and in comes Liam Murphy. The Boilers also have Gicarri Harris and Daniel Jacobsen on the floor with Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith.

15:12 — First media timeout and Purdue owns a 13-7 advantage on Evansville.

16:16 — Jack Benter's first bucket with the Boilermakers is a three-ball. Braden Smith hit Benter as the trailing man, who buried a triple to give Purdue its first lead at 9-7.

17:03 — The Boilermakers have gotten four points from Fletcher Loyer and a bucket from Braden Smith but trail Evansville 7-6 early. Purdue was able to force the Purple Aces into a 10-second violation.

19:15 — Purdue's first possession results in a turnover and Evansville takes advantage, as Joshua Hughes knocks down an impressive three-pointer from the corner with Oscar Cluff in his face.

20:00 — The starting lineups have been introduced and we're ready for basketball from Mackey Arena.

Pregame

Purdue's starting 5

#0 CJ Cox, G
#2 Fletcher Loyer, G
#3 Braden Smith, G
#14 Jack Benter, G
#45 Oscar Cluff, C

Evansville's starting 5

#1 Keishon Porter, G
#6 Leif Moeller, G
#12 Alex Hemenway, G
#11 Joshua Hughes, F
#23 AJ Casey, F

Injury news

Trey Kaufman-Renn will not play tonight due to a hip pointer and sore back.

Evansville starting forward Connor Turnbull will not play in tonight's game. He was the MVC Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Purdue starting forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been listed as "questionable" for tonight's game vs. Evansville due to a hip injury, per the Big Ten availability report. He is expected to test it out.

How to watch Evansville vs. #1 Purdue

What: Non-conference game/Regular season opener
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
Tipoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
TV: Big Ten Network
App: FOX Sports
TV announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); View all listings: CLICK HERE
Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
Series history: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Evansville 9-5.
Last meeting: Evansville defeated Purdue 75-69 on Dec. 3, 2005.

Quick preview

Purdue and Evansville will meet for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign, a 75-69 victory for the Purple Aces on their home floor. That was Matt Painter's first year at the helm in West Lafayette, and a lot has changed in that time.

The Boilermakers enter the 2025-26 season with national championship aspirations, hoping to bring an NCAA title to West Lafayette. The first step of that journey is Tuesday, hosting a relatively new Evansville squad.

The word "new" refers to the nine fresh faces on the roster, five from the transfer portal and four recruits. Evansville returns just three significant contributors from last year — Connor Turnbull, Joshua Hughes, and Kaia Berridge.

Turnbull was the MVC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and Hughes averaged 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Aces. Those are the top returning contributors from last year's squad.

Evansville added an explosive guard in Keishon Porter and a great three-point threat in Alex Hemenway. Those two players can make the Aces tough to guard on the defensive end.

But Purdue returns two All-Americans in Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, as well as two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention Fletcher Loyer. The Boilermakers also have a stronger post presence than a season ago, adding Oscar Cluff via transfer and getting Daniel Jacobsen back from injury.

Purdue has the superior team, but could Evansville's unique look and tenacity on the defensive end give the Boilermakers some problems on Tuesday? They may cruise to a victory, but it could be a good challenge for Matt Painter's team early in the year.