Purdue 69, at Southern California 64

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — In a grinding, physical contest defined by defensive stands and offensive inefficiency, the Purdue Boilermakers leaned on the steady brilliance of guard Braden Smith to escape the Galen Center with a 69-64 victory over the Southern California Trojans in a nonconference men’s basketball game Saturday night. A crowd of 8,629 watched as Purdue, the visiting team in this Big Ten-organized matchup, improved to 17-1 overall. Southern California fell to 14-4. The game’s defining characteristic was Southern California’s profound struggle from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. The Trojans shot a frigid 3 for 20… Read more...