'Crazy Man' Trey Galloway Plays Critical Role For Indiana in Season Sweep Over Purdue

Indiana guard Trey Galloway scored 11 points with five assists, four rebounds and zero turnovers to help the Hoosiers sweep the season series over Purdue with a 79-71 win. He also pressured Braden Smith, keeping the Purdue offense uncomfortable throughout the game.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – They call him Crazy Man. 

Crazy for trying to dunk on Zach Edey, Purdue's mammoth center who stands an entire foot taller? Maybe, but Trey Galloway has never been one to back down.

It's the fearlessness, tenacious defense, basketball IQ and desire to dive for loose balls that makes Trey Galloway valuable. Add a drastically-improved 3-point shot, and he's become a player that fits what Indiana coach Mike Woodson wants on the perimeter.

"He plays hard, man," Woodson put it simply. "That's what I like about him."

Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino stole the show during Indiana's 79-71 win at Purdue, becoming the only Division I freshman in the last 25 years to score 35-plus points on the road against an AP top-five opponent.

But without Galloway in the backcourt alongside Hood-Schifino, it could have been a different outcome. Purdue threw the first punch on Saturday night, jumping out to a 6-0 lead behind deafening roars from the Mackey Arena crowd. Indiana turned the ball over on its first possession and missed its first three shots, showing signs of past struggles on the road. 

Galloway knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it a 6-4 game, as Indiana weathered an early storm from Purdue. On the defensive end, he stuck close to Purdue's freshman point guard Braden Smith, who entered halftime with six points on 2-for-7 shooting, 0-for-2 from 3-point range. 

Caleb Furst's layup gave Purdue the first points of the second half and a six-point lead, but Indiana broke the game open with a 17-2 run, sparked in large part by Galloway. On a kick-out from Trayce Jackson-Davis, Galloway answered Furst's layup with his second 3-pointer of the night, again from the right wing.

Becoming an outside-shooting threat has been the most noticeable development in Galloway's game, and it's made Indiana more dangerous in turn. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, Galloway made 12-of-61 3-point shots, or 19.8 percent. But on 52 attempts as a junior, Galloway has grown into a 51.9 percent 3-point shooter. 

Purdue clung to a one-point lead at the 17:30 mark of the second half when Smith looked inside to Edey, who had position on Jackson-Davis. Galloway timed Smith's entry, leaping in the air to deflect the pass. Pushing the pace the other way, Galloway drove the ball right at Smith and converted an off-balance layup under Ethan Morton.

At 41-40, the Hoosiers had their first lead, one they refused to relinquish. 

"He stepped up in a big way," Hood-Schifino said of Galloway. "He's a big spark. I think just him on the defensive end as well, guarding Braden Smith. Braden Smith is a small guard and able to get downhill a lot. So Galloway definitely stepped up and defended, hit some big-time shots and he played a really good game."

Galloway sunk his third 3-pointer of the game less than a minute later, giving him eight points in a crucial two-minute stretch. Hood-Schifino's mid-range proficiency continued, Jackson-Davis finally joined the scoring with 11:44 remaining and Indiana locked in on defense down the stretch.

Guarded by Galloway throughout the night, Smith finished the game with six points on 2-for-11 shooting, 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. He added eight rebounds, six assists and two steals but also turned the ball over twice. In the first matchup, Galloway held Smith to four points on 1-for-8 shooting, while scoring 11 points of his own. 

On Saturday, Galloway played 38 minutes and scored 13 points on 3-for-3 3-point shooting with five assists, four rebounds, one steal and zero turnovers.

"Gallo's starting to really mature for our ball club," Woodson said. "Because he does a lot of nice things, dirty things, that most players don't like to do and that's play defense and get into people."

As a team, Purdue shot 5-for-23 from 3-point range on Saturday. The Boilermakers missed plenty of open looks, but Galloway and the Hoosiers didn't make anything easy on the perimeter. 

Woodson knew Indiana had to apply pressure to win on Saturday, and Galloway played a key role keeping Purdue's offense uncomfortable throughout the game.

"He played an excellent game," Jackson-Davis said. "He was excellent defensively, always pressuring the ball. We call him Crazy Man for a reason. He did all the little things. He was on the floor, and he's going to give it 110 percent when he's out there and that's what we need from him."

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: For the first time in 10 years, Indiana swept its season series with Purdue, winning 79-71 over the fifth-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday night thanks to 35 points from freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino. It was the Hoosiers' 20th win of the season, and the second over Purdue in three weeks. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media after the Hoosiers' 79-71 win over Purdue at Mackey Arena. He discussed Indiana's defense, Jalen Hood-Schifino's 35 points, winning without a big game from Trayce Jackson-Davis and more. Here's the full transcript, with video attached. CLICK HERE
• UNEXPECTED BIG-MAN BATTLE: Purdue's Zach Edey and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis provided one of the best individual battles of the season on Feb. 4, but Purdue made sure Jackson-Davis' scoring wouldn't take over the second game. Edey was his usual, dominant self, and Jackson-Davis battled foul trouble and found other ways to contribute as Jalen Hood-Schifino's 35 points led to a 79-71 Indiana win. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: The No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers traveled to West Lafayette for the second of two in-state matchups with the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers this season. Mackey Arena was hot but the Hoosiers were hotter, as Indiana won 79-71 to sweep the season series. CLICK HERE
• WATCH HOOD-SCHIFINO'S HOT START: Indiana freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had the hot hand early on against Purdue, scoring 15 points in roughly 12 minutes of action. CLICK HERE
• WATCH GALLOWAY'S THREE-POINTER: Trey Galloway knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing early in the first half against Purdue on Saturday. CLICK HERE
• WATCH THOMPSON'S DUNK: Indiana found its stride at the end of the first half and the start of the second half, going on a 17-2 run in five minutes and 10 seconds, capped off by this Race Thompson dunk. CLICK HERE