The battle for the state of Indiana was on at Assembly Hall. Purdue tried to stop its two-game skid, while Indiana looked to pull off the upset.
The Hoosiers came into this rivalry game needing it in the worst way. They were 0–6 against Quad One opponents. Indiana played hard defense and got into Purdue’s head midway through the first half.
Sloppy passes, bad communication, and terrible defense followed. The crowd started to feel the energy, chanting, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoosiers!” The Boilermakers were struggling on both sides of the ball. With the whole state of Indiana seemingly on their side, the Hoosiers led 40–29 at halftime.
Coming out of the half, the issues continued. Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer struggled all night with his shot and scored only eight points. The senior last scored in double figures nearly two weeks ago against Iowa. The game wasn’t squarely on him, however. Senior guard Braden Smith wasn’t on his “A” game either. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The crucial mistake for him occurred with just under a minute remaining.
With Purdue down five and 55 seconds left to go, Smith drove through the lane. The big man, Trey Kaufmann-Renn, rolled to the rim, and Smith attempted to pass it to him, but it was just off target. That gave the ball back to Indiana and was a crucial misstep by the senior guard.
All the talk was about Purdue, but what about Indiana? They had just knocked off their rival in resounding fashion. There wasn’t just one player who led the charge; it truly was a team effort.
Leading the charge was senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, with 19 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
His counterpart, Nick Dorn, another senior guard, collected 18 points. Dorn only averages 8.3 points per game. He stepped up when they needed him to—that’s for sure. Behind them, Indiana was able to hold the lead from halftime on.
The Hoosiers went on to win 73–68.
After losing a rivalry game this intense, Purdue needs to get back to its winning ways. They can certainly do that in their next game against Maryland.
The Terrapins have struggled this year, to say the least. Their most recent loss was to No. 10 Michigan State, 91–48.
The Boilermakers have work to do before March. They can start with their next game against the Terrapins.
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