Michigan State snapped a seven-game losing streak at Purdue with a 76-74 victory
Braden Smith became the fifth Division I player to reach 1,000 career assists
The game came down to the final seconds with Smith's missed 3-point attempt
Michigan State shot 53% compared to Purdue's 49% for the game
📖 Full Retelling
No. 13 Michigan State Spartans defeated No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers 76-74 in a thrilling college basketball game at Purdue's home court on Thursday night, February 26, 2026, as part of their regular season Big Ten conference matchup. The Spartans (23-5, 13-4 Big Ten) snapped a seven-game losing streak at Purdue with this hard-fought victory, led by Carson Cooper's 15 points and Kur Teng's 13 points. Jeremy Fears Jr. added 12 points and Coen Carr contributed 11 for Michigan State. Purdue's Braden Smith, who became the fifth player in Division I history to reach 1,000 career assists, finished with 12 points and 10 assists, while Jack Benter had 11 points for the Boilermakers (22-6, 12-5). The game featured several dramatic moments down the stretch, including Smith's missed potential game-tying 3-point attempt with one second remaining that would have forced overtime. Purdue had taken a 39-36 lead at halftime behind Oscar Cluff's 10 first-half points, but Michigan State shot 53% for the game compared to Purdue's 49%, making the difference in the close contest.
🏷️ Themes
College Basketball, Big Ten Conference, Rivalry Games
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country. After the introduction of the Morrill Act in 1862,...
Amateur basketball played by students of higher education institutions
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercolle...
The Big Ten Conference (formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a U.S. collegiate athletic conference. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA; it is the olde...
Public university in West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system, which also includes Purdue University in Indianapolis as an ongoing expansion of the West Lafayette campus. The university was founded in 1...
- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on College Basketball College Basketball No. 13 Michigan State Holds on To Edge No. 8 Purdue, 76-74 Published Feb. 26, 2026 10:52 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Carson Cooper scored 15 points, Kur Teng had 13 and No. 13 Michigan State survived Braden Smith 's missed 3-point attempt with a second to play for a 76-74 victory over No. 8 Purdue on Thursday night. Jeremy Fears Jr. added 12 and Coen Carr had 11 for the Spartans (23-5, 13-4 Big Ten ), who snapped a seven-game losing streak at Purdue. Smith, who became the fifth player in Division I history to reach 1,000 career assists, finished with 12 points and 10 assists for Purdue (22-6, 12-5). Jack Benter had 11 points for the Boilermakers. After Smith's two free throws closed the deficit to 66-64 with 5:48 left, the Spartans responded with a 6-0 run. Trailing 74-67, Smith hit a 3-pointer and a driving layup to trim the lead to 74-72 with 2:16 left. Trailing 76-74, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn missed a chance to tie it with a jumper in the lane with eight seconds left. Michigan State’s Cam Ward missed the front end of one-and-one. The Boilermakers got the rebound and called timeout with 3.4 seconds left to set up the final shot. Michigan State shot 53% while Purdue hit 49%. Purdue had nine turnovers, three more than Michigan State. The Boilermakers took a 39-36 lead at halftime. Michigan State hit 48% in the first half with seven lead changes. Oscar Cluff , who had all 10 of his points in the first half, scored to put Purdue ahead 36-34 with 2:55 left in the first half. Purdue sank 6 of 11 3-pointers in the first half while Michigan State went 3-for-9 on 3-pointers. Purdue’s largest lead in the first half was at 13-6. The Spartans used a 10-0 run to take a 16-13 lead with 12:28 left in the first half. Next, Michigan State plays at Indiana on Sunday, while Purdue is at Ohio State . Reporting by The Associated Press.
