Purdue Coach Matt Painter Unsure of When Jaden Ivey Will Return From Injury

After an 80-60 Purdue victory over Northwestern at Mackey Arena, coach Matt Painter said he wasn't sure when star sophomore Jaden Ivey would be ready to play after missing the matchup due to injury.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the first time all season, No. 4 Purdue tipped off without its leading scorer in sophomore guard Jaden Ivey. Before a matchup with Indiana on the road Thursday, Ivey injured his hip flexor in practice but managed to tough it out against the Hoosiers. 

He scored a team-high 21 points in a 68-65 loss, but missed the following two days of practice leading up to a matchup with Northwestern on Sunday at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers managed to take a 20-point win in his absence, but coach Matt Painter remains unsure of when he'll suit up again. 

"I have no idea," Painter said after the team's 80-60 victory. "Whenever they say he can go. Just preparing your team kind of the same way, even though we're going to run some things differently. I think that's the only thing that would be different." 

Without Ivey on the floor, Purdue guards combined for 42 points. Senior Sasha Stefanovic led the team with 22 points, which included six 3-pointers. Senior Eric Hunter Jr. ended the game with 10 points and added a team-high five assists and two steals. 

Junior Isaiah Thompson scored all his points for the Boilermakers at the start the second half, registering the team's first eight after halftime. Sophomore Brandon Newman earned his first start of the year but couldn't find his rhythm and ended 0-5 from the 3-point line. 

Sophomore Ethan Morton scored just two points in over 27 minutes, but he led the team with a 23 plus/minus rating. 

Purdue is gearing up for another road matchup come Thursday, a trip to the Carver-Hawkeye Arena to play Iowa. It's the third road matchup in the last four games for the Boilermakers. 

"If he can go on Thursday, great. If not, other guys have to step up and play," Painter said. "I thought we had some really good production. I thought Eric Hunter had a great game, Isaiah didn't turn the basketball over, Ethan Morton was very solid.

"Caleb Furst had seven points in that one stretch, which was really beneficial. I thought our bench did a really good job, and then Sasha playing well really balanced things out." 

Stories Related to Purdue Basketball

• PURDUE CRUISES TO WIN OVER NORTHWESTERN: Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic was 6-10 from the 3-point line and added four free throws to lead Purdue to a 20-point victory over Northwestern on Sunday at Mackey Arena. He was one of four Boilermakers to end the game in double figures. CLICK HERE 
• PURDUE, NORTHWESTERN LIVE BLOG: Purdue basketball was back at home for a matchup with Northwestern at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers were looking to win their 10th straight game against the Wildcats, but were without star sophomore Jaden Ivey. CLICK HERE
• HOW PURDUE FAILED TO CLOSE OUT AGAINST INDIANA: No. 4 Purdue led Indiana by two points with a minute left to play Thursday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Boilermakers had opportunities to close out the Hoosiers, but the team was unable to put the game away in the waning seconds. CLICK HERE
• PURDUE DROPS ROAD MATCHUP AGAINST INDIANA: Purdue basketball was unable to put away Indiana on the road Thursday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey scored a team-high 21 points in the loss, but 20 points from Rob Phinisee propelled the Hoosiers to victory. CLICK HERE

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