Second half defense fuels Indiana’s rout of No. 13 Purdue

Eight minutes into the second half, Purdue freshman guard Gicarri Harris stood on the perimeter with the ball in his hands. Trey Galloway met him face-to-face and guarded him closely as the Purdue offense looked for an answer. Harris tried to connect with Camden Heide on a pass when Luke Goode poked the ball loose.

The ball came out, and with aggressive effort, Leal jumped toward the ball the second he got the chance. Goode took off in transition as Leal threw the ball in front of his teammate, leading him toward the basket with the pass. The Fort Wayne native slid down the floor for an open lane and a wide-open two points.

The Hoosiers pumped their fists toward the rowdy crowd. On the other end of the floor, Purdue coach Matt Painter stood alone past his bench with both hands behind his head. He watched in dismay as another mistake unfolded for everyone to see. Purdue hadn’t crumbled; it collapsed. And Indiana wasn’t holding back.

The Hoosiers marched forward to snap a four-game home losing streak with a 73-58 win against the No. 13 Boilermakers. Indiana put on a memorable defensive second-half performance, wiping away any Boilermaker hopes for a season sweep of IU.

As the afternoon began in Bloomington, it seemed the Hoosiers wouldn’t be on the positive side of their second-season meeting against Purdue. Purdue took control for most of the first half after shooting 6-for-11 on 3s, while the Hoosiers managed just a 1-for-11 mark from distance. Indiana trailed 37-25 at halftime and was, once again, booed as it made its way to the locker room.

But during that 15-minute break, a new, spirited team emerged on the floor. IU stormed out of halftime with a second-half performance that gave new life to their season.

It all started with defense. Indiana guards Trey Galloway, Leal, and Myles Rice caused havoc for Purdue’s offense. Braden Smith, one of the nation’s best ball handlers, struggled in the second half, committing turnover after turnover. The Boilermakers finished with 16 turnovers, 11 of which came in the second half. Smith had five of those alone, scoring just one point in the second half.

Rice and Leal each had three steals and Indiana finished with nine, the second-most in a game this season for the Hoosiers. These turnovers also contributed to the team’s offense, as they scored 23 points off turnovers.

“I thought the second half, we did everything from a defensive standpoint that we worked on these days that we had to practice,” Mike Woodson said. “It was a nice carryover. We couldn’t make a shot in the first half. I thought we got some decent looks. We just couldn’t make them, and they made shots.

“I thought the second half, our defense really picked it up and we were able to get stops and we started to make shots.”

The energetic defense sparked the IU offense as the Hoosiers outscored the Boilermakers 48-21 in the final 20 minutes. Six different Hoosiers scored in the second half, while Purdue shot a dismal 6-for-20.

Fletcher Loyer led his team with 11 second-half points, but aside from Loyer, nobody on the Purdue squad scored more than three points in the half.

“I really like how we responded in the second half because that’s what we’ve been doing all year is just fighting,” Galloway said. “We’ve been in these games and we’ve been in big-time games where we haven’t closed them out. But we’ve continued to keep fighting, and that’s all you can ask for, and it’s going to pay off. Just got to keep the momentum and keep moving forward.”

The second half featured a hard-nosed defense, which was shocking given the control Purdue had at halftime, when it led comfortably. Indiana bullied Purdue the entire second half, never letting up for a second. Purdue had no answers offensively and Indiana thrived in arguably its best half of basketball this season.

Many times this season, we’ve seen Indiana with their heads down entering half and unable to break through down the stretch against the Big Ten’s top teams. But on Sunday, Indiana flipped the script of its recent struggles at home. There was heart in their performance.

“We’re a family, and we’ve been a family since we all got together in June, and through highs and lows, you’ve got to find ways to continue to stick together,” Galloway said. “That’s one thing we’ve really tried to preach this last week; even with what we’ve been going through and the tough losses, we still have a chance to compete and make the tournament.”

“Tonight, they refused to lose,” Woodson said.

Category: Media

Filed to: Purdue Boilermakers