Repeated mistakes cost Indiana in narrow loss at Purdue

  • Feb 1, 2025 7:02 am in

WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana played a competitive 40-minute game Friday night in Mackey Arena, one of its best performances of the season. However, failed execution and turnovers led to an 81-76 loss against the No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers.

The Hoosiers entered rivalry week in turmoil, having lost four of their last five games. Despite the rough stretch and the turbulent environment of Mackey Area, IU displayed an aggressive, spirited effort.

But like Sunday’s loss to Maryland, it all came down to the final moments.

The Hoosiers claimed a one-point lead with 29 seconds left following a short jumper from Trey Galloway. Out of a timeout, Purdue motioned its offense to isolate Trey Kaufman-Renn, something Matt Painter mentioned postgame was a priority for them heading into the matchup. Kaufman-Renn found himself one-on-one with Oumar Ballo just inside of the free-throw line, taking a power dribble and spinning to his right for a long hook shot. The shot fell, giving Purdue a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining.

IU quickly inbounded the ball to Myles Rice, who then took it down the floor by himself as the final 10 seconds of the game ticked. Rice tried to attack the basket on the right side but collided with Gicarri Harris for a bobbled possession. Like in the previous game against Maryland, the Hoosiers failed to execute on the game’s most crucial possession.

After fouling the Boilermakers with 3.3 seconds remaining, Indiana called a timeout and Ballo forcefully showed his frustration in the huddle. The Hoosiers were, again, inches away from victory.

“Well, once he took off, I couldn’t get to him. It was too late,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “The official had went by. Again, that’s just – we gotta connect better. That’s just the bottom line. Because our high pick and roll stuff was going well for us with the ball in Gallo’s hand, and we just couldn’t’ get back to it.”

In a back-and-forth game featuring 15 lead changes, Indiana’s inability to take care of the ball was costly.

The Hoosiers committed 20 turnovers, the second most they’ve had in a game this season. Even on its final possession, IU couldn’t generate one final clean look due to an inbound pass from Trey Galloway that sailed way over the head of Malik Reneau. Free throws were also pivotal as the Hoosiers shot 9-for-16 from the stripe, good for just 56.3 percent.

Purdue, which improved to 9-2 in the Big Ten, never let IU extend its lead beyond seven points in the second half. The composure of the Boilermakers’ big three, Fletcher Loyer, Kaufman-Renn, and Braden Smith, also proved to be a separating factor. The trio combined for 62 of Purdue’s 81 points.

“I thought the effort was there,” Galloway said. “We fought through a bunch of runs – obviously, they went on a bunch of runs – but I think just continuing to just keep competing was the main thing. Just a few plays that we got to clean up and that was the difference in the outcome.

The Hoosiers had one of their best offensive showings of the year, boosted by Luke Goode’s and Mackenzie Mgbako’s shotmaking and Ballo’s presence in the paint. Mgbako scored a game-high 25 points and Goode finished with 13 points. Goode and Mgbako were effective from the outside, combining for six of Indiana’s seven made threes.

Anthony Leal played 35 minutes of nonstop, gritty basketball and compiled six points, five rebounds and four assists. Galloway, who had been removed from the starting lineup earlier this month, seemed revived in his 15-point performance.

Overall, the Hoosiers played one of their better games of the season but came up short.

“Again, it’s just about making plays down the stretch and securing the win,” Woodson stated. “We didn’t do it in the Maryland game, and tonight we had our chances. I mean, we couldn’t get the key stops. Kaufman hits a 15-foot hook shot that was huge for them, and then we didn’t capitalize coming back the other way.”

Indiana has lost five of its last six games, coming up just short by a few plays against Purdue and Maryland.

The Hoosiers were close to earning consecutive Quad 1 wins but came up empty-handed as they continue to battle through the toughest stretch of their 2024-25 schedule. Indiana still has upcoming opportunities for resume-building wins, but it must find a way to close games out during the most critical moments.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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