Haston key in Hoosier win

WEST LAFAYETTE -- There is an archaic tradition Purdue fans follow during an IU game: the most productive Hoosier is the target of the most derogatory remarks.\nThe Boilermakers came up with a few creative words to describe IU junior center Kirk Haston, who posted his 13th double-double of the season Saturday in Mackey Arena with 22 points and 15 rebounds.\nHaston led a trio of post players in one of the Hoosiers' most aggressive inside games, as IU pulled down 47 rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points. Haston, freshman forward Jared Jeffries and sophomore forward Jeff Newton combined for 64 percent of the rebounds and\n65 percent of the offense in the Hoosiers' 74-58 win against Purdue.\n"I thought (rebounding) was the biggest key tonight, especially in the first half," Haston said. "(Jeffries) had two or three big tip-ins that would've led to fastbreak buckets for them. We were able to work some more time off the clock and anytime you can control the clock and control the boards, that usually gives you a win."\nThe Hoosiers teetered on a 26-25 lead with 3:50 remaining in the first half when they took off on a 12-1 run. With the exception of a basket from sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby, all of the points in those four minutes came from Haston, Newton and Jeffries.\nThe run started when Purdue junior guard Maynard Lewis fouled Newton and he made the second free throw. On the Hoosiers' next possession, Newton dished an assist to Haston, giving IU a 29-25 lead with 2:42 remaining in the half. \nAnd when Haston was sent to the free-throw line with two minutes remaining, he missed his second shot but Newton was there for the rebound. On the Hoosiers' final possession of the first half, Newton completed a three-point play, increasing the lead to 38-25. Newton scored two points and made three of seven free throws during that stretch. \n"I got on Newton early in the first half because he was just standing around, not going to the glass, and if you don't go, you have no chance of getting the rebound," interim head coach Mike Davis said. "I wanted to rebound the basketball, I wanted to keep them off the free-throw line and I wanted to shoot free throws."\nIU out-rebounded Purdue 24-12 in the first half and blocked five shots, three of which came from Haston. Purdue finished with 33 rebounds and didn't block a shot.\nNewton, who fouled out of the game with 1:54 remaining, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. The only other time he scored in double digits against the conference this season was against Northwestern.\n"During a timeout (in the first half), Coach told me I had one minute to get an offensive rebound, so I went out and just crashed every time, and I finally got some," Newton said. "Since we have a size advantage, that was one of our main priorities, to go to the boards and go inside."\nDavis said a taller lineup was an advantage on both ends of the court. The Hoosiers outmatched Purdue at every position, with the exception of Kevin Garrity, a 6-foot-11, 255-pound center.\n"I thought our size really affected them," Davis said. "They have really good penetration, but with us being 6-9, 6-10, it was hard for them to shoot over us. Anytime you have 6-9, 6-10 guys who are really attacking the glass when you're playing a small team, it's not easy but you have to go."\nAnd the Hoosiers went, starting the second half off with a steal and a fast break dunk by Jeffries in the first minute. Jeffries finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. When Jeffries missed a basket at the 16:36 mark, Haston was there to finish the shot with a dunk, giving IU a 46-31 edge. The last time Haston grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds was Jan. 23, when IU faced Purdue in Assembly Hall. \nPurdue coach Gene Keady said the Hoosiers' inside players forced his guys to make hasty decisions, and that the size matchup was a factor.\n"They're pretty dang good," Keady said. "They beat us 24-12 in the first half so they had twice (the rebounds). But we knew that ahead of time, so we shouldn't have shot the ball so quick."\nHOOSIER NOTES\nThe National Association of Basketball Coaches named Haston to the NABC/Chevrolet Division I All-District 10 first team and Jeffries to the second team. The selection is based on votes by member coaches of the NABC and makes the student-athlete eligible for the NABC/Chevrolet Division I All-America Team, which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2000-2001 season. \nHaston leads the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 20.2 points per game, the only player over the 20-point mark. He also ranks second in conference rebounding with 8.7 per game. \nJeffries ranks third in conference rebounding (7.9) and fifth in blocks (1.53). Jeffries leads all Big Ten freshmen in conference scoring, rebounding and blocked shots this season. He also ranks second on the team in points and rebounds.