WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue point guard Braden Smith became the fifth player in Division I history to reach 1,000 assists after he scored 12 points and added 10 assists in a 76-74 loss to No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday night.
Smith had an assist on the eighth-ranked Boilermakers’ opening basket, a 3-pointer by C.J. Cox. He got his sixth with 6:43 left in the first half on a basket by Trey Kaufman-Renn where goaltending was called to hit the 1,000 assist mark.
Bobby Hurley of Duke (1990 to 1993) holds the record with 1,076 assists. Smith entered the contest averaging 8.7 assists. The Boilermakers have three games left before the Big Ten tournament.
Smith surpassed Michigan State’s Cassius Winston (2017 to 2020) for the Big Ten career record earlier this season.
The 6-foot senior was a consensus first-team All-American last season and won the Bob Cousy Award for the top collegiate point guard.