No. 21/22 Indiana Downs No. 1/1 Purdue 79-74

Saturday, February 4

Bloomington, Ind.

4:00 PM

Indiana University

16-7,7-5Big Ten

Purdue

22-2,11-2Big Ten

Purdue

Indiana

2/4/2023 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The swarm surged, thousands of red-clad Indiana students in full celebration mode poured onto Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall court, and senior forward Race Thompson raised his arms to embrace it beneath a scoreboard glowing this Cream 'n Crimson truth:

Indiana 79, Purdue 74.

A defining Hoosier victory over top-ranked Purdue was within reach Saturday evening, a few final crunch-time plays were needed after a 16-point lead was down to one, and freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino, even with superstar Trayce Jackson-Davis around and a 1-for-14 shooting effort in his recent past, wanted the ball.

Coach Mike Woodson gave it to him.

The result, Hood-Schifino scored the final four points and the No. 21/22 Hoosiers ended Purdue's nine-game winning streak and likely two-week run atop the polls.

"I told Coach I wanted to get the last basket," Hood-Schifino said. "I was happy with it."

So was Woodson.

"He asked for the ball down the stretch," Woodson said. "I drew up two plays to get it to him and he delivered."

Forget Hood-Schifino's rough shooting night four days earlier at Maryland. He certainly did.

He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half, and was 8-for-15 from the field along with four assists, two steals and one turnover.

"When you have a game like that, I don't look at it like a bad game," he said. "I took a positive from it. Some games, you have to find other ways to make an impact."

Added Jackson-Davis: "He lives for these big moments. The first half I carried the load. In the second half, he did.

"He's a great player. When he gets to that level, he's unguardable."

IU (16-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big Ten) won for the sixth time in seven games. Purdue leads the conference with an 11-2 record, 21-2 overall.

"This is no time to quit," Woodson said. "The Big Ten championship is still out there. Somebody has to win it. We have to keep hammering."

A sold-out Assembly Hall rocked with decibel levels that threatened to shatter limestone, let alone eardrums.

"We've got the best fans in college basketball," Woodson said. "I've seen it for 40 years. The fan base has not wavered."

Added Jackson-Davis: "The crowd was our sixth man. It was the most electric crowd I've ever been a part of. We fed off that."

Feeding meant forcing 16 Purdue turnovers and a game-deciding 20-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

"Our defensive pressure put us in a different place," Woodson said. "They rarely turn it over, and our pressure made them make mistakes."

IU attacked with ruthless defense and exploitive offense en route to first-half leads as large as 16. Against a team that hadn't allowed 70 points in 24 games, it had 50 by halftime.

"We played hard and together," Jackson-Davis said. "We fought through and found a way to win."

In the marquee individual matchup, the 6-9 Jackson-Davis totaled 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Purdue's 7-4 Zach Edey had 33 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.

"Edey and Tracy are two of the top players in the country," Woodson said. "They showed that."

Guard Trey Galloway added 11 points. Eight Hoosiers scored at least three points.

"Our supporting cast played better than theirs," Woodson said. "We needed to. Tonight was our night."

IU rocked Purdue early, forcing five turnovers in eight minutes to build a 21-10 lead.

Four minutes later, the Hoosiers led 28-18, with Jackson-Davis and Galloway combining for 15 points, and IU holding an 8-0 edge in points off turnovers.

IU kept up the pressure. Jackson-Davis ran the court for dunks and inside baskets. The Hoosiers pushed ahead 44-28 before ending with a 50-35 halftime lead.

Jackson-Davis led with 18 points. The Hoosiers had a 12-1 edge in points off turnovers, 10-2 on fast-break points.

The key question -- could they sustain it for 20 more minutes?

Purdue used a heavy dose of Edey to close within nine points, then seven, then five. Baskets by Hood-Schifino, forward Malik Reneau and Jackson-Davis pushed IU ahead 61-50 with 11 minutes left.

Purdue cut it to four, then two, then had a chance to tie or take the lead. IU forced a turnover. Hood-Schifino hit a jumper. Galloway attacked for a basket. Jackson-Davis got a steal, drew a foul. IU was up 71-66.

The Boilers closed within a point at 71-70 with two minutes left. Thompson hit a pair of free throws, then got a steal. Hood-Schifino drove for a pair of baskets.

Purdue was finished.

"We made the plays we needed to make coming home," Woodson said.

Victory didn't break Woodson's coaching focus. He already was looking ahead to the next game -- a Tuesday home contest against Rutgers, which beat the Hoosiers earlier in the season.

"This in won't mean anything unless we validate it," Woodson said. "Rutgers is a team we've struggled against. They've had their way with us.

"I told our guys they had an hour to celebrate before they should start thinking about Rutgers."