Indiana's Turnovers, Poor Free Throw Shooting Costly in Loss at Purdue

Indiana committed 20 turnovers and shot 9 for 16 at the free throw line in Friday's 81-76 loss at Purdue.

Jack Ankony | Feb 1, 2025

Indiana guard Trey Galloway (32) and Purdue forward Raleigh Burgess (34) go after a loose ball at Mackey Arena. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Much will be made of the controversial final 30 seconds between Indiana and Purdue Friday at Mackey Arena.

Some thought Myles Rice was fouled on a jumper with four seconds left as Indiana trailed by just one point. Others argued Indiana coach Mike Woodson should have called a timeout before the play even happened.

In the end, Trey Kaufman-Renn’s hook shot with 11 seconds to play, along with clutch free throw shooting from him and Fletcher Loyer, were enough for the Boilermakers to secure an 81-76 win over their in-state rivals.

What made Friday’s loss even more disappointing for the Hoosiers – who led 67-61 with 5:36 to play came seconds away from a marquee win they desperately needed – was that it felt eerily similar to Sunday’s 79-78 loss to Maryland, when late-game execution fell flat.

“It's very frustrating, because we're right there,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway said. “And we got to keep fighting. There's a lot of games left. But to know that we're right there and that close to being able to find ways to win those close games like this is definitely frustrating for all of us, because we want to win in the worst way possible.”

But beyond the failures in the final seconds? Indiana made plenty of mistakes earlier in the game that it will look back on and regret. Start with moments where everything was in the Hoosiers’ control.

Indiana finished 9 for 16 at the free throw line, just 56.3%. Across 22 games this season, that’s Indiana’s the second-worst free throw shooting percentage, save for its 11-for-20 night in a win over Chattanooga. Oumar Ballo went 2 for 6. Anthony Leal went 2 for 4. Malik Reneau split a pair.

It’s also tied for the second-fewest total free throws Indiana has made in a game this season. The Hoosiers managed to beat Eastern Illinois with just eight free throws, but their other two games with eight or nine makes were losses to Iowa and Maryland.

The other killer stat for Indiana was its 20 turnovers, as Purdue made the Hoosiers pay for their mistakes with 26 points off turnovers.

“I think our biggest strength was being able to force them into 20 turnovers,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I think that's what they have to look at and want back. Like, if they just have 15 turnovers, they have five more possessions, the game changes.”

That marks Indiana’s second-most turnovers in a game this season, only behind its 89-61 blowout loss to Louisville in the Bahamas, where it committed 23 turnovers. Add Indiana’s 17 turnovers at Northwestern, and its three most turnover-heavy games all resulted in losses.

The 20 turnovers were split evenly between the first and second halves. Reneau and Leal each turned the ball over in the first minute of the second half, which helped Purdue quickly turn a four-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead.

Five of Indiana’s turnovers came in the last five minutes of the game, four of which led to Purdue points the other way. Despite his strong play down the stretch, Galloway finished with a game-high six turnovers, followed by Leal with four and Ballo and Reneau with three apiece.

“The difference in the game was the 20 turnovers that we had,” Woodson said. “I thought that was huge. And on the road, you can’t turn it over like that, and they made us pay for it. They had 26 points off our turnovers.”

So instead of a resume-boosting win, Indiana heads back to Bloomington wondering what could have been if it limited turnovers and made free throws. With their fifth loss in the last six games, Indiana falls to 14-8 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play ahead of Tuesday’s 8 p.m. ET game at Wisconsin.

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