Hoosiers beat rival Purdue
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Jamie Owens)
BLOOMINGTON — Whenever Indiana meets Purdue, you can usually throw records out the window. Bragging rights typically trump current standings in this age-old rivalry. This time, however, there was more than just bragging rights on the line. The Hoosiers are trying to win their second Big-Ten title in the last four years, and both teams are continuing to work on their NCAA tournament resume. It’s a shame these rivals only face off once this season, but in their lone meeting ,the Hoosiers were victorious by a final score of 77-73 at Assembly Hall.
“We know we beat a really, really good team,” Coach Tom Crean said after the game. “They have a chance to play for a long time in the tournament.”
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell was in the midst of his biggest shooting slump of the season, only connecting on 10-of-42 (24%) shots in his last four games. Playing his final home game against Purdue, however, brought out the best in him. Ferrell connected on his first five shots, scoring 13 early points and helping Indiana get out to an early 25-18 lead. He didn’t shoot well the rest of the game, but didn’t really need to.
His teammate Troy Williams was huge in this game, leading Indiana with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also had four steals, and didn’t have a single turnover. It’s nights like this that should show fans why Tom Crean sticks with Williams, even when he’s struggling. He’s still capable of being one of the leaders of this team, and the Hoosiers will need more performances like this if they want to make a deep tournament run.
“When he’s doing that, playing at a high level, we feed off that energy,” Ferrell said about Williams.
Speaking of turnovers, Indiana only had four of them for the entire game. They didn’t get their first turnover until 17 minutes of game action had passed. They outscored the Boilers 20-3 in points off of turnovers, which ended up being the biggest factor of the game.
Indiana came out hot to start the second half, and pushed their biggest lead to 59-40 with under 10 minutes to play. It looked like another home blowout was in order, but the Boilers kept fighting. After trailing by 15 with five minutes to play, Purdue went on an 18-5 run and cut the Hoosiers lead to two with 36 seconds to play. They opted not to foul, which led to Yogi Ferrell’s driving score with eight seconds left, a goal-tend by Purdue’s A.J. Hammons, and the Hoosiers survived.
Purdue’s “bigs” gave Indiana trouble down low as expected. Between Hammons, Haas, and Swanigan, the three of them scored 39 points on 15-of-20 shooting. Purdue also held their own from behind the arc, particularly late, finishing the game 9-of-19 from three. Indiana, however, connected on 12 3’s themselves, and really changed the game with how well they took care of the ball.
“We didn’t force anything,” Coach Tom Crean said. “We created turnovers and took care of the ball. We want to play fast, but we don’t want to play reckless.”
When asked how his team has put themselves in this position in late February, Crean responded: “They’ve focused on the game in front of them. I know that’s a cliche thing to say, but we wouldn’t have this record if we didn’t focus on each individual game. We’ve stayed centered on the day.”
Indiana guard Robert Johnson left the game with an injury at the 3:34 mark in the second half. He was carried off the court, but stayed on the sidelines to watch the rest of the game. He was seen in a walking boot and crutches after the game, but no update has been given on his status at this time.
Only Maryland stands in the way of the Hoosiers perfect season at Assembly Hall. They’ve had quite a year in front of the Hoosier faithful.That game may also have Big Ten Title possibilities on the line. The Hoosiers are currently (12-3) in the conference, with three games to play.
Follow Tyler on Twitter and Periscope: @TylerSmith_ISL
