Renn/Boiler FT Problems help Hoosiers to win 

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

     The Indiana Hoosiers took down #10Excel H Sports Ranked Purdue Boilermakers 72-67 Tuesday Night in a Sold-Out Simon Sjkodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers have won two in a row improving to 14-7 and 5-5 overall in the Big Ten. Purdue has lost three in a row dropping to 17-4 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have won four of the last five meetings in Bloomington and all four wins have come when Purdue is ranked. Indiana is 18-9 in Bloomington when Purdue is ranked, and the Hoosiers are 67-44 all-time at home against their archrivals. Purdue leads the series 128-94.

    Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 19 points and Nick Dorn added 18 points. All eight Hoosiers that played scored as Tayton Conerway did not play as he is still dealing with an ankle issue. The Hoosiers finished 23-50 for 46%, 12-33 from three-point range for 36% and 14-19 from the free throw line for 73%. The Hoosiers pulled down 28 rebounds with 10 from Tucker DeVries as he scored 9 points. Indiana dished out 16 assists, 8 steals, 1 block and 8 turnovers. The Hoosiers scored 18 points in the paint, 16 bench points, 10 second chance points, 7 points off turnovers and 4 fastbreak points.

  Trey Kaufman-Renn led Purdue with 23 points and Braden Smith added 14 points. All nine Boilermakers that played scored as all 17 players who played in this game scored on both sides. Purdue finished 26-54 from the field for 48%, 7-20 from three-point range for 35% and 8-15 from free throw line for 53%. Purdue scored 24 points in the paint, 13 fastbreak points, 12 bench points, 11 second chance points and 6 points off turnovers.

   The game featured 11 lead changes and 3 ties all in the first half. Purdue led 10-8 with 15:51 left in the first half as Purdue hit four of five from the field. Indiana responded with a 6-0 run as they held Purdue scoreless to 3:30 as the Hoosiers led 14-11 with 11:53 to go in the first half. Purdue outscored Indiana 12-5 with 7:03 left as Purdue hit three straight buckets to make it 23-19. Indiana took control leading 27-23 with 5:10 left before the break as the Hoosiers with an 8-0 run over one minute and thirty seconds. Indiana extended the lead 34-25 with 2:32 left with a 15-2 run over four minutes and fourteen seconds. Indiana went into the locker room up 40-29 with 11 points from Lamar Wilkerson. Purdue’s Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 7 points each.

   Purdue outscored Indiana 38-32 in the second half but the Hoosiers never trailed in the second half. The Hoosiers led 51-42 with 11:59 left holding the Boilermakers scoreless for three minutes and three seconds. Purdue went on a 7-0 run and held the Hoosiers to no field goals for two minutes and forty-four seconds as the Hoosiers led 59-52 with 7:55 left in the game.

   Purdue cut the Hoosier lead to four points 65-61 with 1:48 left as the Hoosiers did not score for almost three minutes. Indiana scored 7 points in the final 1:48 and Purdue scored six as Hoosiers had a three from Conor Enright along two free throws and two free throws from Lamar Wilkerson to seal the win for the Hoosiers send the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd home with a win as the National Championship Indiana Hoosier Football Team brought the College Football National Championship Trophy before the game.

   Conor Enright knows what this rivalry means having his older brother graduating from IU. “My Brother went here. I know he’s smiling far, far way, wherever he is watching” Enright said after the game. The Hoosiers have talked about a different mindset with the bend but don’t break mentality. Rivalry Games are special and Head Coach Darian DeVries thanked the crowd and especially the students after the game for “What makes this place special.”

    From the moment he arrived on campus his top priority was to get to know the students and get them involved because they are a huge part of this program and to keep the fanbase engaged. In his first IU-Purdue game DeVries delivered as the Hoosiers win against a ranked Purdue team but round 2 comes at Mackey Arena on February 20, and it will be an electric atmosphere just like tonight as Purdue looks to get revenge on their archrivals and doesn’t want to be swept. Indiana heads to Los Angeles for two games on Saturday at UCLA and Tuesday at USC.