
Purdue into Sweet 16, ends McNeese’s March run
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Purdue used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday.
Fletcher Loyer added 15 points. C.J. Cox finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers (24-11), who advanced through the Midwest Region to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
The Boilermakers will meet the winner of top-seed Houston and eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the regional semifinal. In his 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with Purdue, coach Matt Painter is now headed to his eighth Sweet 16.
Sincere Parker had 17 points to lead McNeese (28-7). Javohn Garcia added 12 points as the Cowboys came up short in their bid to give the Southland Conference its first Sweet 16 team since Louisiana Tech in 1985.
McNeese came out in the 2-3 zone that was so successful during its first-round win over Clemson.
But Purdue hit 7 of its first 9 field goals and 3 of its first 4 3-point attempts to build an early double-digit advantage. A pair of three-plus minute scoring droughts by the Cowboys and runs of 10-0 and 9-0 by the Boilermakers helped Purdue grow its lead as high as 36-14 in the first half.
The Boilermakers led for all but 19 seconds.
Purdue shot 11 of 26 from the 3-point line for the game and held a 41-24 rebounding edge.