Hoosiers Cruise Past Purdue to Keep the Barn Burner Trophy 

By Nick Jenkinson\Excel H Sports

     For the 12th straight time the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Purdue Boilermakers 78-56 with a dominating performance and keep the Barn Burner Trophy in Bloomington. Indiana has won 16 of the last 17 matchups with their archrival dating back to 2017. Purdue’ last win this series came on January 20, 2019, in West Lafayette when the Boilers won 56-53. Indiana is 24-21 all time in Bloomington and have beaten Purdue the last 12 times in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Purdue last won in Bloomington on January 19, 2012, 80-62. Purdue leads the all-time series with Indiana 53-43. The Hoosiers and the Boilermakers will meet in the Regular Season Finale on Sunday March 2, in West Lafayette.

      The Hoosiers are 16-9 and 8-6 in the Big Ten. Indiana has four regular season games left with Ohio State and Maryland at Home and Michigan State and Purdue on the road. Sydney Parrish led the Hoosiers with 19 points, Yarden Garzon added 18 points and Shay Ciezki scored 16 points. Indiana finished 28-56 for 50% from the field, 8-16 from three-point range and 14-16 from the free throw line for 87%. Indiana pulled down 29 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, 13 steals, 1 block and committed 16 turnovers.

       Kendall Puryear led Purdue with 15 points off the bench, Destini Lombard added 10 points and McKenna Layden pulled down 10 rebounds. Purdue finished 21-40 for 42% from the field, 6-16 from three-point range for 37% and 8-10 from the free throw line for 80%. The Boilermakers pulled down 30 rebounds, 12 assists, 10 steals, 2 blocks and committed 24 turnovers. Purdue is 9-16 overall and 2-12 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are looking to stay out of the bottom three in the Big Ten since the top 15 of 18 make the tournament. Purdue has home games against Minnesota and Indiana and road games at Ohio State and Penn State to close out the regular season.

       Indiana jumped out to a 20-2 lead as Purdue Center Lana McCarthy picked up two quick fouls in the first minute and five seconds of the game. Yarden Garzon scored the first seven points for Indiana and never trailed throughout the game as they exposed the Boilers defense all game long and led 30-10 after the first quarter. Indiana outscored Purdue 18-12 in the second quarter as the Hoosiers lead 48-22 at halftime. Sydney Parrish scored 15 points and Yarden Garzon added 12 in the first half for the Hoosiers.

       In the third quarter Purdue outscored Indiana 23-19. The Hoosiers led by 31 points with 63-32 with 4:45 left in the third quarter. Purdue got no closer than 18 points in the third quarter as the Hoosiers ended the third quarter leading 67-45. Both teams scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as Purdue got within 18 points as the Hoosiers emptied the bench and cruised to the win.

       Sydney Parrish ditched the knee brace and said she felt a better and faster and said after the game that “Its Purdue” and referred to the Boilermakers as the “School Up North” and being an Indiana kid Parrish knows how important it is and how much it means to the fan base as well. Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren has been on both sides of rivalry, and she never lost to Indiana as a player at Purdue and as Indiana Head Coach she was won 12 in a row. “Syd set the table for us in terms of how important this game is and how much it means to keep the trophy here” Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren said after the game.

        Coach Moren said that Karoline Striplin had no clue what this rivalry means and what the barn burner trophy was and was given a history lesson. Striplin is from Hartford, Alabama and played three seasons at the University of Tennessee before she came to Indiana, but she started and produced in this rivalry game, and she will get another chance at Purdue in a couple weeks but for now she has the upper hand in her first taste of Indiana-Purdue rivalry.