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Matt Painter reveals how Purdue took down Iowa

Originally posted on NCAA Basketball on ClutchPoints
By Lorenzo J Reyna, ClutchPoints | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 10:07 PM ET

Purdue basketball owned 73 wins over Iowa before Wednesday, with Matt Painter beating them since 2005. They faced an upset-minded Hawkeyes team aiming to shed the memories of the recent loss to Illinois.

Iowa tested the nation’s No. 5 team early and often. Painter’s Boilermakers prevailed in the end 79-72, though, inside Mackey Arena.

How did Purdue withstood a team aiming to topple a top five program? Painter sounded off on what went right with Andy Katz of the Big Ten Network.

“We just had to get a little momentum. Obviously they got up eight to nine points. Had to get some stops,” Painter began. “You can’t get on runs and get back into the game if you don’t get stops. I thought we did a good job of doing that.”

But the stops weren’t the only thing Painter beamed about.

What else went right in end for Purdue, Matt Painter vs. Iowa?

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Despite entering unranked, Painter called Iowa a good team to Katz. Including noticing how the rivals came after Purdue with surprise scoring options.

“They had maybe seven threes from non three-point shooters. They bounced a couple in,” Painter said.

He loved how Purdue took care of the ball as well and watched Braden Smith shed a rough start.

“He’s the best. He didn’t have a good first half and was able to come out of that timeout when they were eight to nine points to make a couple of pullups to get a little momentum. But he’s a tough dude,” Painter said.

Smith was honored for a historical feat before facing Washington a week ago. He ended the evening dropping a team-best 16 points in 37 minutes.

Trey Kaufman-Renn chipped in 12 points. Fletcher Loyer delivered 11 points while Oscar Cluff added 10. Purdue outscored Iowa 48-38 to earn the school’s 74th victory over Iowa in this longtime series.

This article first appeared on NCAA Basketball on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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