Darian DeVries is off to a good start against Indiana’s conference rival.
Purdue took what was then the game’s biggest lead at 23-19 with 7:04 left in the first half. DeVries called a timeout and the Hoosiers went on a 21-6 run to close out the first half. Twice in the second half Indiana pulled out to 14-point leads, including 59-45 with 9:54 left. But it was hang on time from there as the No. 12 Boilermakers got to within two points in the final two minutes.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 72-67 in Bloomington with our latest edition of The Report Card.
The Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5) will return to action Saturday at UCLA.
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OFFENSE (B+)
The emergence of Nick Dorn continues to provide a boost for Indiana’s offense, with a third perimeter threat parked outside the arc.
“It gives our team a lot more options,” IU guard Conor Enright said. “When Tucker and Lamar are doing what they’re doing and then you have Nick hitting six threes a game, it’s hard to guard. It leaves me or Sam or Reed out there with plenty of options.”
And Indiana’s offensive weapons forced Purdue to play smaller lineups. Starting big man Oscar Cluff was only on the floor for six minutes in the second half. So the offense gave the defense an assist in that regard, creating less mismatches for IU to deal with on the other end. Adjustments by Purdue did help limit IU’s offense in the second half. But with so many weapons on the court, the Hoosiers took advantage of mistakes in key moments, including Enright’s game-clinching three.
There was a late game stretch when things got dicey. Lamar Wilkerson had two turnovers in less than a minute to keep things interesting. And the Hoosiers missed all three of their front ends of one-and-ones at the free throw line. But in the final 1:28 when the Boilers got to within two, IU took care of the ball, and did what was needed to do to close out the game.
Indiana scored 1.17 points per possession, and they got there via efficiency from two (64.7%) finishing over length, and low turnovers (eight for the game). In most other areas, the Hoosiers did just enough to pull out the win.
DEFENSE (A)
A major part of Indiana’s game plan was to throw the kitchen sink at Purdue’s all-everything point guard Braden Smith. They wanted to get the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat them. Smith had no assists in the first half. You are never going to completely take him out of games, but he finished with five assists and four turnovers, and needed 14 shots to score 14 points.
“Our game plan was to show out and hedge on those ball screens,” Enright said. “And I think we did a really good job of five guys playing defense on one guy at the same time. Just being super connected and taking away everything and connecting and covering for one another when we need to.”
All of that attention thrown Smith’s way did create opportunities in the paint for Purdue’s big men, and that led to a 55.8% shooting night from two for the Boilers, and a 23-point night for Trey Kaufman-Renn.
With less size on the floor and great effort by Indiana, Purdue wasn’t able to dominate the offensive glass. IU held them seven percentage points under their normal offensive rebounding rate.
And a pesky defense forced seven first-half Purdue turnovers to help create an advantage that would prove too big to overcome. An assist went to the best home crowd of the season in Bloomington.
“We want this to be the loudest, toughest place that there is, not only in the Big Ten but in the country, because it does matter, and it does make a difference in games, and that effort by the crowd tonight was impressive,” DeVries said.
In the end, Purdue scored 1.09 points per possession, which was their third-lowest mark of the season.
SEE ALSO:
- Conor Enright played big role in Indiana finishing off huge win over Purdue
- Watch: Purdue’s Painter, Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn talk loss at Indiana
- Watch: IU basketball’s Darian DeVries, Conor Enright, Nick Dorn talk win over Purdue
- IU basketball: Indiana 72 Purdue 67 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (B+) Purdue completely sold out in the second half to keep him out of the game, and he only took one shot after the break. His three first half threes helped give Indiana a double-digit lead. And DeVries competed at an elite level on the glass the entire game.
*Lamar Wilkerson (B) It wasn’t his most efficient night with Purdue sending two players his direction at times. And Wilkerson had a couple late turnovers. But don’t overlook his seven rebound performance on a night when every fingertip on a loose ball mattered.
*Sam Alexis (B+) Alexis was good defensively, walling up and making things difficult at times for Purdue’s bigs. But fouls and a strong stretch by Reed Bailey limited his role.
*Conor Enright (A) Enright didn’t hesitate to hoist what would be the game-clinching three with a minute to go. And he made a pair of free throws after that. But his defensive effort — a full 40 minutes — was just as important. “I thought he gave incredible effort the whole night, and cramping and everything and he continued to fight through it,” DeVries said.
*Nick Dorn (A) Dorn did it all. He made four critical threes, including a pair back-to-back to slow a second-half Purdue run. When the three wasn’t there he took Fletcher Loyer to the rim on a couple drives. He had two critical defensive rebounds in the final four minutes, and Dorn was more active and engaged defensively in this one.
Reed Bailey (A-) Bailey was on the floor during Indiana’s big first half run. He finished at the rim, played good defense, and although only credited with two rebounds, he was very active and engaged on the glass.
Jasai Miles (A-) Miles had his best game as a Hoosier. He was impactful on the glass, locked in defensively, and he made a three in front of the Purdue bench in the first half.
Trent Sisley played three minutes. He did make a pair of critical free throws with six minutes remaining and Purdue rallying.
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Aleksa Ristic and Andrej Acimovic did not play — coaches decision.
Tayton Conerway, Jason Drake and Josh Harris were out with injuries.
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