Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter didn’t have to say a lot to get his team fired up ahead of Tuesday’s road clash at Indiana. The second ranked Boilermakers had faltered on two earlier road trips in the Big Ten this season, falling at both Northwestern and Nebraska, but this was Indiana — an Indiana squad that had knocked off Purdue two straight times and three of the last four since Indiana coach Mike Woodson stepped on the scene.
Instead of words, it simply came down to a belief and that belief spurred Purdue to a 51-29 halftime lead and a blowout 87-66 win at Assembly Hall. With the win, Purdue basketball improved to 16-2 overall, 5-2 in the Big Ten, while the Hoosiers fell to 12-6, 4-3.
“We knew we were in control of that game right from the tip,” Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer told the media after the game.
Behind solid shooting from the field, the Boilermakers overwhelmed Indiana early and often and managed to get the Hoosiers in foul trouble early, especially Mackenzie Mgbako.
The Hoosiers came out on fire in the second half, using a 17-7 run to chip the deficit to nine, but Purdue was unfazed, responding with poise, as both Loyer and Zach Edey put an end to any hopes the Hoosiers had of clawing back into the game.
What was the difference?
“Just not panicking. It got loud in there, but it also got real quiet when they left with four minutes left,” said Loyer, who finished with 19 points.
Lance Jones, who finished with 17 in his first action against Indiana, echoed those sentiments.
“We just stuck with one another and weathered the storm,” Jones said.
Boilermakers vow they are a different team
For Loyer, the win over Indiana showed that this year’s team is different than teams of the past.
“It shows what a different level of basketball we are playing right now. Our two goals are to win a Big Ten championship and a national championship. We are a different team this year. We know what we can do. We are going in with a different attitude that if we make shots, we can win. Everyone’s goal is to win,” Loyer said.
For Painter, the win in Bloomington all came down to two things — making shots and resolve.
“We were getting pretty good shots, they weren’t going down to start the second half. Their shots were and they closed the gap. Proud of our guys, total team effort. We have a lot of great wins, lot of great neutral court wins, we needed a game like this, needed to play better, needed to shoot better. We gave ourselves a chance. You get into these rivalry games, anything can go. That’s an unbelievable environment. The fans here come out and support their team. They’ve been spoiled through the years. They’ve had some great great teams here. A lot of tradition here. To come in here and be up 22 at the half, is a huge statement for our team. We’ve come back to back years and the first half has been terrible,” Painter said.
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