Indiana’s Anthony Leal Makes Winning Plays in Final Home Game Against Purdue

Indiana senior guard Anthony Leal stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks, and he made numerous key defensive plays in Sunday’s 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue.

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) celebrates against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Anthony Leal has typically received the loudest cheers from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd during introductions since he joined the starting lineup in mid-January. 

That’s in part because he’s a Bloomington native and the 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball playing for his hometown school. But the crowd’s appreciation for Leal is perhaps more so due to his style of play – winning basketball, the type Hoosier fans have longed for in recent years. The best example of that throughout Leal’s five-year college career came Sunday, when Indiana’s season of ups and downs reached a high point with a 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue. 

It took a team effort, with six Hoosiers scoring double figures. Malik Reneau’s 7-for-7 shooting and Trey Galloway’s nine assists highlighted the win. In a broad sense, it kept Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. But turn to the minute details required to secure the upset victory, and Leal’s fingerprints were all over it.

“He's been huge,” Woodson said.  “I mean, you expect that. Anthony has been around me awhile, and he's gone through a lot with me. We didn't play him a whole lot early because I just didn't play him. But he never quit working, and that's a testament to him in terms of how he approaches the game. Now he's getting an opportunity to play, and he's making the most of it. You expect that from seniors. I mean, I wouldn't expect anything less. So it's a good showing tonight, based on how we played in the second half. So I'm happy as hell.”

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) dives for a loose ball and draws a foul on Purdue's Braden Smith at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Some parts of Leal’s game may seem to be of small value, but on Sunday they paid off in the form of a resume-boosting win. Playing all 20 second-half minutes and 35 total, Leal finished with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. But listing statistics would be shortchanging his impact. He also made several key defensive plays, and his all-out effort was game-changing. 

Start in the second half, when Indiana faced a 37-25 deficit. On the first defensive possession, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn couldn’t handle a bounce pass from Braden Smith, and Leal showed quick instincts to corral the loose ball. He immediately looked ahead and threw a long pass to Galloway for a fast-break dunk.

The very next possession, Smith lost his handle trying to split Indiana’s defensive perimeter duo of Leal and Rice. Recognizing Galloway would gain possession, Leal sprinted ahead and caught another long-range pass for a fast-break layup. 

Purdue coach Matt Painter called a timeout less than two minutes into the half after Indiana’s 7-0 run made it a 37-32 game. Suddenly, a crowd outwardly displeased with Indiana’s first-half effort reached perhaps its loudest level of the season as Leal waved his arms to fire them up. 

Indiana finished the game with 23 points off 16 Purdue turnovers, a key part of the Hoosiers’ comeback. Leal slid over to help defend a Kaufman-Renn drive, and he stood his ground against the 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward. Kaufman-Renn took a contested, off-balance shot over Leal and fumbled the ball out of bounds. On the following possession, Indiana tied the game up 39-39 with a Reneau dunk.

Indiana's Luke Goode (10), Anthony Leal (3) and Trey Galloway (32) celebrate against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Indiana’s defense against Braden Smith, particularly with Leal and Myles Rice, was integral to turning the game around. After diving on the floor for a loose ball, Smith looked for Cam Heide below Indiana’s basket. But Leal jumped the passing lane, got Heide off his feet with a shot fake, and delivered a wraparound pass to Luke Goode for an and-one layup. That basket gave Indiana its first lead, 41-40, in about 13 minutes of play.

“The little plays that Myles made and Anthony made early on in the half just defensively pushed us to get that start that we wanted,” Galloway said.

Purdue took control of the game with a 21-4 run at the end of the first half, but Indiana responded with a 28-3 run to open the second half. Again, it was Leal coming up with a big play to cap off the run. 

Leal spent all possession denying Purdue’s perimeter passes, which left Gicarri Harris with nowhere to go. He tried forcing a lob pass to Heide, but Goode deflected the ball. Leal gathered it and immediately tossed a pass ahead to Goode, who’s layup counted after a goaltending call. A 12-point halftime deficit quickly turned into a 53-40 Indiana lead with 11:56 to play.

Shortly after, Leal fought through a screen by Caleb Furst and slid his feet to catch up with Smith driving to the right side of the lane. Leal eventually got back in front of Smith and drew an offensive foul as Smith pushed off with his forearm to create space for a shot.

Leal and Galloway are the two longest-tenured Hoosiers, and the two Indiana natives always seem to know what the other will do. As Galloway drove to the baseline, Leal cut behind the Purdue defense, caught the pass from Galloway and went up strong to draw a foul on Smith. On the next possession, he crashed hard on the defensive glass to grab a rebound over the 6-foot-10 Furst, who was whistled for a foul. 

Leal split his four free throws during that sequence with 8:12 to play, but his effort elicited a compliment.

“This kid Leal, he’s just one of those guys that does all the dirty work,” CBS analyst Steve Lappas said. “And really, he’s been a huge key in this second half. I don’t really care how much he scores. What he’s done defensively with Myles Rice has been a lot.”

Desperate to stop Indiana’s momentum, Purdue applied a full-court press with about eight minutes to play. Galloway and Rice did a good job of being strong with the ball initially, while Leal and Goode frequently cut to open spots on the second level to break the press. The Hoosiers were strong with the ball and turned it over just three times in the second half. 

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) forces a jump ball against Purdue's Fletcher Loyer (2) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Leal made arguably his best defensive play of the game as Indiana led 64-51 with 3:40 to play. Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer initially beat Leal off the dribble to the baseline, but Leal recovered by shuffling his feet to get back in defensive position. He timed his jump perfectly with Loyer’s, went up with two hands and grabbed the ball as Loyer attempted the layup. Officials called a jump ball, and Leal walked away with the ball as the crowd went wild. 

Some of Leal’s impact won’t show up in the box score, but Indiana may not have won Sunday’s game without his inspired play on both ends. Though he began the season playing limited minutes, Leal has turned into a vital piece for Indiana’s late-season surge.

He knows his defensive assignments and rarely, if ever, gets lost on that end. He’s a willing rebounder as a guard, boxes out hard and refuses to get knocked around by larger opponents. He communicates constantly on both sides. He’s smart with the ball and doesn’t force passes or bad shots. When there’s a dead ball, he frequently calls the Hoosiers together for a brief huddle.

And by the time the final seconds ticked away against Purdue, Leal waved arms in the air to pump up the Assembly Hall crowd, knowing the Hoosiers had just secured a win that keeps their path to the NCAA Tournament open.

“It's a great second half,” Woodson said. “I mean, I didn't play very many people off the bench. I kind of rode the seniors. We've been in a lot of close games over the last month and a half, and I just haven't been able to get over the hump. Tonight they refused to lose.”

Indiana's Myles Rice (1), Luke Goode (10), Anthony Leal (3) and Malik Reneau (5) smile against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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