Purdue returns to Sweet 16 with 76-62 win over McNeese in March Madness

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — 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 on Saturday.

Fletcher Loyer added 15 points. C.J. Cox finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers (24-11), who advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

Purdue will meet top-seeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals in Indianapolis. Coach Matt Painter has reached the Sweet 16 in eight of his 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with the Boilermakers.

Painter said the challenge is to maintain the offensive efficiency his team has shown over the first two rounds.

“We can’t go further without playing great offensively,” Painter said. “We have to execute well, we have to shoot the ball well. That’s not really pressure, that’s just a fact.”

Sincere Parker scored 17 points for McNeese (28-7), which won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game during coach Will Wade's second and final season at the school. 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 seven of its first nine field goals and three of its first four 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 build a 36-14 lead in the first half.

“From the start of the game they kind of imposed their will on us," Parker said. "To their credit they made shots and we missed shots.”

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.

“I thought we played really well these last two games,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We executed well and we stuck to our game plan and then we outrebounded both teams. So we do that, it’s a winning game plan.”

McNeese: Poor shooting prevented the Cowboys from duplicating their first-round magic.

Purdue: A year after making it to the national title game, the Boilermakers are getting some of their best production from Braden Smith and Kaufman-Renn, who both started in that game.

Wade declined to confirm that he had accepted the coaching job at N.C. State, but a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press a deal had been reached. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t publicly discussed its coaching search.

Wade said he'd spend Saturday celebrating what McNeese accomplished this season.

“I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Wade said. "Look, I’m an honest guy but today I want to put a bow on everything with McNeese if we can. That’ll be up to whatever else happens."

As good as Purdue was offensively against the Cowboys, the Boilermakers will likely have to lean on their defense in the next round. Houston is the nation’s fifth-ranked 3-point shooting team.

AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates while taking a lead against McNeese State during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Purdue forward Caleb Furst (1) celebrates on a dunk against McNeese State during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Purdue forward Caleb Furst (1) celebrates on a dunk against McNeese State during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) battles for a rebound against McNeese State guard Quadir Copeland (11) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Purdue forward Camden Heide (23) hangs onto the ball while colliding with McNeese State guard DJ Richards Jr. (2) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into Monday, with the group saying the one attack in the capital killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others

The American strikes entered its 10th day without a sign of stopping, part of a campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump targeting the rebel group that threatens maritime trade and Israel while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor.

So far, the U.S. has not offered any specifics on the sites it is striking, though Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.” That's something so far that's not been acknowledged by the Houthis, though the rebels have downplayed their losses in the past and exaggerated their attacks attempting to target American warships.

“We’ve hit their headquarters," Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. "We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities.”

An apparent U.S. strike Sunday hit a building in a western neighborhood of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing at least one person and wounding 13 others, the rebel-controlled SABA news agency said, citing health officials. Footage released by the rebels showed the rubble of a collapsed building and pools of blood staining the gray dust covering the ground.

A building next to the collapsed structure still stood, suggesting American forces likely used a lower-yield warhead in the strike.

The Houthis also described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen's exiled central government.

The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli" ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.

The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.

The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decadelong stalemated war that’s torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.

A Yemeni checks debris at his home after a U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo)

A Yemeni views the debris of a building after it was struck by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo)

A Yemeni walks on debris from a destroyed building after it was struck by U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo)

A Yemeni checks his damaged vehicle after U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo)