Indiana Takes Down No. 5/5 Purdue, 79-71

Saturday, February 25

West Lafayette, Ind.

7:30 PM

Indiana University

20-9,11-7Big Ten

Purdue

24-5,13-5Big Ten

Indiana

Purdue

2/25/2023 10:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Boos and deafening roars rocked Mackey Arena, and Jalen Hood-Schifino didn't flinch. Multiple defenders came at Indiana's freshman guard Saturday night and he burned them.

A career-high 35 points followed.

A 79-71 Hoosier victory over No. 5 Purdue followed.

A sweep of the Boilers for the first time in 10 years followed.

Were you shocked?

Hood-Schifino wasn't.

The No. 17 Hoosiers weren't.

They snapped a seven-game Mackey Arena losing streak -- and picked up their first victory there since 2013 -- with a ruthless combination of efficient offense (51 percent shooting, 16 assists) and stifling defense to improve to 20-10 overall, 11-7 in the Big Ten.

"That was the best victory we've had since I've been here in playing a complete 40 minutes," senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis said. "We fell behind and never wavered. We kept fighting."

With Jackson-Davis struggling (although he still finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists), Hood-Schifino set an instant tone, fearlessly attacking the Boilers and the moment.

"I live for big games," he said. "I knew going into Purdue would be a tough one. The aggressiveness came out. Shots were falling."

Were they ever. Only Jay Edwards, with 36 points against Minnesota in 1988, ever scored more points as an IU freshman.

The only Hoosiers to score more in a road game are Alan Henderson (41 at Michigan State), Bracey Wright (39 at North Texas), Steve Alford (38 at Wisconsin), Damon Bailey (36 at Kansas) and Edwards.

Hood-Schifino was so dominant that when coach Mike Woodson wanted to run plays for Jackson-Davis to get him going, Jackson-Davis shook him off.

"We feed off of him," Jackson-Davis said. "I told him before the game you're going to get your opportunities to score.

"Coach Woody was trying to get me baskets and I told him, not right now. We're riding (Hood-Schifino). When a guy is hot like that, keep giving him the ball."

Woodson kept running pick and rolls and Purdue never came close to stopping them.

"It was an unbelievable display of basketball," Woodson said. "He played 40 minutes, got the ball where it needed go and put the ball in the hole. It was a tremendous game and we needed it."

Added Purdue guard Brandon Newman, who spent much of the night trying to guard him: "He's a good player. He gets to his spots really well and plays at his own pace. You've got to make it tough on him on every possession."

Hood-Schifino, who topped the 33 points he had against Northwestern in January, continues to grow in the absence of injured senior guard Xavier Johnson. He added seven rebounds and two assists and played solid defense.

"We knew when we recruited him that he could get to his spots," Woodson said. "We ran a lot of pick and rolls with the ball in his hands. He made a lot of good plays."

He was not, Woodson added, perfect.

"He still has holes. As he matures, he will figure all of it out. Tonight, he was brilliant."

Credit hard work.

"I'm a lot better," Hood-Schifino said. "I put in a lot of work. With X (Johnson) being out, I've had the chance to have the ball in my hand a lot more. Watching a lot of film has helped me."

Jackson-Davis wasn't surprised.

"It shows his maturity. He plays the game at his own pace. He knows how to come off ball screens really well. He knows how to read.

"We rode him. Coming into a hostile environment like this, the loudest place we'll play at, shows what kind of kid he is and how much he has improved."

IU hit Purdue with every available option and thrived. It forced turnovers, flustered shooters and attacked relentlessly. In seven minutes, a four-point halftime deficit became a 10-point second-half advantage, and then grew.

"It was a team effort," Hood-Schifino said. "We played hard on the defensive end and came out with the W."

Guard Trey Galloway added 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and stifling defense on Boiler guard Braden Smith. Miller Kopp added 13 points.

"I'm happy with everybody," said Woodson, who was 0-4 in Mackey Arena as a Hoosier player.

Purdue (24-5, 13-5) could have clinched a share of the Big Ten title with a victory. Now, with four losses in its last six games, it has to sweat.

"I have ultimate confidence in my teammates," said center Zach Edey, who totaled 26 points and 16 rebounds. "They're a great group of guys. We'll figure it out."

The Boilers couldn't do what Michigan State had done four days earlier in beating IU -- light up the gym with 3-pointers. They finished 5-for-23 beyond the arc, not nearly good enough against IU's 7-for-15, and compounded that with 35 percent overall shooting, and 22-for-33 free throw shooting.

Purdue opened the game by making five of its first nine shots to surge ahead 13-6.

Five straight Kopp points, and a Hood-Schifino 3-pointer got IU to within one at 19-18 at the 10:33 mark – without Jackson-Davis taking a shot or scoring a point.

Hood-Schifino kept attacking and scoring. Kopp got free for a 3-pointer and a 30-30 tie with 4:30 left in the half.

Free throws pushed Purdue back in front until a Newman 3-pointer gave the Boilers a 38-34 halftime lead.

Purdue's 26-11 rebounding edge could have helped deliver a knockout blow. It did not. The Boilers only managed a 10-3 second-chance points advantage.

The Hoosiers were very much in contention.

Eight Galloway points sparked IU's 12-2 start of the second half for a 46-40 Hoosier lead that kept growing. Kopp hit a 3-pointer. Race Thompson dunked for the second time. The lead was nine, then 10, and the reeling Boilers called a timeout.

It didn't matter. A Hood-Schifino jumper pushed Indiana ahead 65-52 with 8:36 left.

The Hoosiers matched every Boiler surge the rest of the way.

"This shows the reason why I came back, to play in games like this," Jackson-Davis said. "Coming back and sweeping like this, I made the right decision. It shows what Coach Woody is building. We're trying to get IU back on the map. We need to keep building off this."