What Purdue's Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn Said After Win Over High Point

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When Purdue needed them most, the two brightest stars shined. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Braden Smith finished with 20 points and six assists, leading the Boilermakers to a 75-63 win over High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Following the game, the two stars of the game met with reporters to talk about the outcome. Here's what Smith and Kaufman-Renn said in the postgame press conference on Thursday.

On if the tide turned in their favor after Kaufman-Renn's buzzer beater in the second half ...

Smith: I mean, yeah, that was an incredible shot and we were lucky that went down. They're a great team and they were here for a reason and they showed why. And the game was so back and forth the entire time and I think me and Trey and all these other guys who have been through it, we understand how to keep our composure and stay with the game. It's going to be ups and downs. I think we just made some good plays down the stretch.

On if High Point was different than playing a Big Ten opponent ...

Kaufman-Renn: I don't think it was that different. They still ran a lot of ball screens. We have been dealing with a lot more ball screens lately. Look at USC, so, no, I don't think it was that different. They're a super physical team. They play really hard and that's why they won their conference, so, yeah.

On if Purdue's dominance on the glass gives them momentum entering the next round ...

Smith: Yeah, it gives us more opportunities, like he said, the offensive rebounds kick out threes, we had one possession really early where we had four or five shots. None of them went, but getting those extra possessions was big-time for us. Limiting turnovers and winning that turnover battle is huge as well.

On if Kaufman-Renn practices that crazy shot he made to beat the shot clock ...

Kaufman-Renn: All the time. It's the first thing I do when I step on the floor in warmup, so I'm glad my hard work's paying off.

On how important it was for Purdue's role players to step up ...

Smith: It's big time. There are a lot of guys on the team and it's our dream to be here. They did a great job doing their job and sticking with that. They rebounded their butts off. We're obviously very happy for that and it's huge for us and our program.

On the importance of the rebounding effort from everybody on the team ...

Kaufman-Renn: Like Coach Paint said, it's the difference in the game. That's what won us the game. I think we have done a better job lately on rebounding, put more of an emphasis on it from a player standpoint and we got to keep that up if we want to keep winning.