Purdue Suffers First 3-Game Losing Streak Since 2019-20 Season
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Purdue has officially entered unfamiliar territory. On Tuesday night, the 13th-ranked Boilermakers dropped a 75-66 decision to No. 14 Michigan State in East Lansing, suffering their first three-game losing streak in five seasons.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 24 points and Braden Smith ended the night with 17 points and eight assists, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 13-point second-half deficit. The Boilers have now lost consecutive games to Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Michigan State was led by Jase Richardson, who scored 12 points. Frankie Fidler had 11 points and Jaden Akins and Coen Carr each dropped in 10 points.
The Spartans dominated in the paint and in transition. They outscored the Boilermakers 42-24 in the paint and 21-7 in fastbreak points. Michigan State also connected on 15-of-21 attempts from the free throw line.
For Purdue, it is now in the middle of a three-game losing streak, its longest skid since a four-game slide in February 2020. That season, the Boilers lost games to Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The Boilers dropped to 19-8 on the season and 11-5 in Big Ten play. They return to action on Sunday, playing rival Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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