5 Thoughts From Purdue's 72-67 Loss to Indiana
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tuesday night was another disappointing one for Purdue. The 12th-ranked Boilermakers dropped their third straight game, falling 72-67 to arch-rival Indiana. It was the last time the senior trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn will play in Assembly Hall.
There were a lot of things to point to on Tuesday night that led to Purdue's loss. Here are a few thoughts from the game in Bloomington.
Couldn't sustain momentum
At times on Tuesday night, Purdue played with energy on both ends of the court. But those came in brief spurts but were never sustained for a long stretch. The first eight minutes were a perfect example, as the Boilermakers led 10-8 at the first media timeout, then trailed 14-11 by the second media break.
In the second half, Purdue trailed 45-31, but was able to make a 10-2 run and cut Indiana's lead down to just six points at the15:02 mark. Over the next five minutes, the Hoosiers then produced a 12-4 run of its own to bump the lead back up to 14 points.
There were several examples throughout the game, but those two stood out the most. When the Boilermakers had chances to seize momentum, they let it slip through their fingertips.
Points left at the free-throw line
In a game that was decided by just five points, shooting 53% from the free-throw line isn't good enough. Purdue was 8-of-15 from the charity stripe and missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity.
Kaufman-Renn had a big night, scoring 23 points, but he was 5-of-10 from the free-throw line. Stealing a few more free points from the stripe could have really benefited the Boilermakers, especially late in the game. They just weren't able to take advantage.
Indiana closes the first half strong
Closing out first halves has become an issue for Purdue in the last three games. It surrendered a 12-point lead to UCLA in Los Angeles and a 10-point lead on Saturday to Illinois. On Tuesday, the Boilers only had a 23-19 lead with 7:03 to play. But coming out of the media timeout, the Hoosiers turned it on.
Indiana went on a 21-6 run to close out the half, led by Lamar Wilkerson, Nick Dorn and Tucker DeVries. The Boilers were ice-cold on the offensive end and couldn't get a stop defensively. That allowed the Hoosiers to take a 40-29 advantage into the locker room, stealing any momentum Purdue had at the time.
Rebounding wasn't a major advantage
Coming into Tuesday's game, rebounding was a major issue for Indiana. It had been one of the Big Ten's worst rebounding teams this season, but it held its own against Purdue. The Boilermakers still finished on the right side in the column, winning the battle 33-28, but it wasn't enough.
Where Purdue could have really hammered Indiana was on second-chance opportunities. Instead, it only outscored the Hoosiers 11-10 in that category. After the game, coach Matt Painter was clearly frustrated with that effort, saying the Boilermakers should have won the rebounding battle by 15.
Defending the three-point line
Indiana shot its percentage from long range on Tuesday night, making 12-of-33 attempts for 36%. However, a lot of those shots came at critical junctures, though, and Purdue often left shooters wide-open. It actually could have been much worse.
Dorn was the guy who really killed Purdue, making 4-of-9 from long distance. DeVries also knocked in three and Conor Enright made a pair, as the Hoosiers really shared the wealth from distance.
This was another game in which Purdue's defensive rotations and lack of communication resulted in opponents getting open looks at the basket. It was costly again.
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PURDUE-INDIANA GAME BLOG: Look back through the live game blog as Purdue and Indiana added the latest chapter to their intense in-state rivalry on Tuesday night. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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