No. 4 Purdue Basketball Loses to Indiana 68-65, Ending 9-Game Win Streak Over In-State Rival
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The winning streak is over. The No. 4-ranked Purdue basketball team lost its first game against in-state rival Indiana, ending a nine-game win streak against the Hoosiers that dated back to 2016. After trailing for the majority of the second half, the Boilermakers had a lead with under a minute left in the game.
But Indiana junior point guard Rob Phinisee scored his only basket of the second half — a 3-pointer from the right corner — to take a one-point lead with 17 seconds to play.
He torched Purdue with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Even on the shoulders of 21 points from sophomore guard Jaden Ivey, the Boilermakers couldn’t find the final basket to escape with a win, falling on the road 68-65 to the Hoosiers.
“Just building off the experience of being on the road and just going through the competition,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “You’re trying to win a championship. How can you win a championship if you keep getting losses?
“That’s the whole point here, and our guys understand that. I thought both teams played well. But obviously, they were a possession better than us.”
Purdue started the game quickly, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of play. The Boilermakers opened by making three of their first five shots from the 3-point line. Three players hit from beyond the arc before the team went dormant, missing its next five.
But after starting the game 0-4 from the field, Indiana roared back as Phinsee led the team with 17 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting. He was 3-5 from the 3-point line at the break.
The Hoosiers took their first lead of the game after Ivey was called for a flagrant foul on freshman Trey Galloway. Ivey — who was away from the ball — lost his composure and shoved Galloway to the floor, igniting what turned into a 14-0 run for Indiana, which led 37-28 at halftime.
Purdue sophomore center Zach Edey ended a near five-minute scoring drought with a basket under the rim and led the team with nine points before the two teams went to the locker room. The Boilermakers were plagued by turnovers, giving the ball away 11 times in the first 20 minutes of play, compared to just one by the Hoosiers.
“I think (the Hoosiers) had a lot to do with it — the environment had a lot to do with it,” Painter said. “I think we lost our poise there. We get a flagrant foul, we started to foul unnecessarily. When we’re not stepping off, get a catch and be strong. Just passing and catching.
“A lot of times when it gets down to it, you think it’s some crazy scheme, but just being able to handle their pressure. Give them credit, I thought they did a good job of that.”
Ivey came out of the break by providing a huge spark for Purdue. He scored seven of the team’s first 11 points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Boilermakers came within one point before they failed to score over the span of just over two minutes.
During that time, the Hoosiers rattled off seven straight points, taking an eight-point lead with 14:11 left in the game. Ivey continued his second-half takeover to the tune of 19 points.
But despite tying the game with under four minutes to play, Ivey missed his final three shots. Sophomore forward Mason Gillis gave Purdue its first lead of the second half with 1:08 to play, but Phinisee's final 3-pointer put Indiana ahead for good.
Ivey had two chances to tie the game in regulation with under a minute left.
The first was a high-arching, contested shot in the paint that didn’t rattle in. After a pair of free throws from Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Ivey had one final attempt at the end of the game.
He launched a deep 3-pointer, but his final chance couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Ivey said that he entered the game dealing with an injury but ultimately played through it.
“I had confidence in the one I took,” Ivey said. “The one I took where it was kind of contested, I tried to get it high off the glass so the bigs could get a tip-in. My leg was bothering me all game. Even before the game, I didn’t even know if I could really play.”
Purdue finished the game with 12 turnovers and made just seven of its 17 shots from the free-throw line. The team, now 15-3 and 4-3 in the Big Ten, returns to Mackey Arena on Sunday against Northwestern.
“I think those two things are probably the most important things to help you win in tough games like this, tough environments,” Gillis said. “If you can’t take care of the ball, it’s just going to lead to their transition, fast-break points. And if you can’t hit free throws, we can’t put people away.”
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- PURDUE HANDS ILLINOIS FIRST BIG TEN LOSS: Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic scored made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points while leading Purdue to a double-overtime victory over Illinois on the road. Sophomore center Zach Edey notched 20 points and didn't turn the ball over in the win. CLICK HERE
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- TREVION WILLIAMS ON WHY HE CAME BACK: Purdue forward Trevion Williams joined the Sasha Live! last week and senior spoke about his experiences testing the NBA waters and his decision to return to a Boilermakers program that he believes is building something special this season. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.