Hoosiers sweep Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE -- The Purdue media guide claims its fans are the best in the country. \nBut many of them headed for the exits with seven minutes remaining Saturday with IU on its way to a 74-58 victory against Purdue.\nFor the first time since the 1992-93 season, the Hoosiers (19-11, 10-6 Big Ten) swept the two-game series with its arch-nemesis. Junior center Kirk Haston relished the moment.\n"It's something that I haven't been a part of since I've been here," Haston said. "It was definitely something I wanted. Any time you play against Purdue, it is never easy."\nBut he made it look easy. Haston led all players with 22 points and 15 rebounds. With the Boilermaker starting front line depleted because of injuries, Haston scored almost at will. He made eight of 14 shots in another strong showing that could tip the scale in voting for Big Ten players of the year.\n"I think Haston is the player of the year without a doubt," interim head coach Mike Davis said. "He's carried us. He's brought Jared Jeffries along -- who I also think is the freshman of the year. Kirk is playing great." \nFreshman forward Jared Jeffries added 15 points, sophomore guard Tom Coverdale scored 13 and sophomore forward Jeff Newton dropped in 11. IU dominated Purdue on the glass, outrebounding them 47-33 in the game, 24-12 in the first half.\n"They did a good job rebounding," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "They did a good job taking our offense away from us. They have better rebounders than we do."\nThe Purdue fans were cheering when their team was up 14-9 early on. A 13-3 run by IU silenced them. Purdue pulled up to 25-26 on a three-pointer by Carson Cunningham with 3:50 remaining. Then the Boilermakers (14-13, 6-10) missed their final eight shots of the half, enabling IU to gain a 38-26 halftime lead.\nWhile IU made 46 percent of its shots, Purdue made 30 percent. Its starters made only 11-of-42 attempts. Willie Deane made 2-of-12, Kenneth Lowe made 2-of-10 and Cunningham hit only 4-of-14.\n"You've got to be smart and put them on defense and take good open shots," Keady said. "They did a good job taking us out of our game."\nPurdue stayed in the game by making four three-pointers in the first nine minutes of the second half. With 11 minutes remaining, Davis was called for a technical foul. He stepped out of the coaching box and admitted he said a few things he shouldn't have. The ensuing free throws by Cunningham cut IU's lead to 10 points.\n"Instead of dropping leads, we're building on them," Haston said. "We came into the season as a young team, learning a new system, and now we're starting to feel like we're getting it going."\nJeffries made a pair of free throws to extend IU's lead to 20 with seven minutes remaining and sent many Purdue fans to the exits.\n"There's no better feeling than coming into Mackey Arena, (looking) up at the scoreboard, seeing us up 20, and knowing we're going to sweep Purdue, and listen to the silent crowd," Coverdale said.\nBut the win didn't come without a price. Sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby sprained his right ankle in the final minutes. \n"Its really frustrating," Hornsby said. "There's nothing that could have stopped this. It's nobody's fault. I just wish I'm healthy for the tournament."\nIU faces Wisconsin at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.