Story bySam King, Lafayette Journal & CourierWed, January 21, 2026 at 11:46 AM UTC·3 min readLOS ANGELES − The veteran presence on the Purdue basketball roster has allowed the Boilermakers to brace themselves for moments like Tuesday. Leading by six points with less than two minutes to go, fourth-ranked Purdue somehow left Pauley Pavilion with a 69-67 loss at UCLA. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBraden Smith has been here before and it allowed the senior point guard to approach what happened auspiciously."We want to win every game. It's obviously our goal," Smith said on a night where he had two turnovers during UCLA's 8-0 run over the final 1:32. "At the end of the day, we understand it's going to happen.
