After one quarter it looked like a battle worthy of a hotly contested rivalry.
By halftime Indiana was well on its way to another win in what has become a lopsided series against Purdue.
With its defense leading the way, the Hoosiers turned a 12-12 first quarter tie into a 32-15 halftime advantage. The Boilermakers would never get any closer after the break as Indiana cruised to a 66-45 win in West Lafayette.
Indiana was led in scoring by Grace Berger with 22 points. She added seven assists and five rebounds. Mackenzie Holmes added 20 points and six rebounds.
IU held Purdue to 34 percent shooting for the game and forced 16 Boilermaker turnovers.
The Hoosiers went on a 17-0 scoring run that lasted the final 7:34 in the first half of action to take the lead for good.
In the decisive second quarter Purdue made just 1-of-15 shots from the field as IU clamped down on the defensive end. Six of Purdue’s turnovers came during that segment. Indiana tied a season record for lowest points allowed by an opponent in a quarter with three points in the 2nd quarter of the contest.
Berger’s 3-pointer at the buzzer capped Indiana’s strong effort in the half, taking a 32-15 lead at halftime.
Purdue’s scoring drought lasted two and a half more minutes in to the third quarter as Berger added two more buckets to her stat line to take a 20-point lead with 7:46 to go. The Hoosiers would go on to hold their largest lead at the end of the third quarter, going up 50-27.
The win was IU’s fourth straight in the series. The Hoosiers have won eight of the last nine against Purdue as head coach Teri Moren continues to torment her alma mater.
The No. 18 Hoosiers improved to 10-3 overall and 6-1 in Big Ten play. With their Monday tilt with Rutgers postponed, IU will return to action on Jan. 21 at Michigan State.
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