All about defense

This game was probably more to the liking of Coach Mike Davis than last Saturday's blowout win against No. 12 Illinois. More defense and less talk about shooting.\nA smothering defense and a balanced offense led by Jared Jeffries was the story for the Hoosiers as they coasted to a 66-52 win against in-state rival Purdue before 17,456 fans at Assembly Hall.\nJeffries finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Tom Coverdale had nine and Kyle Hornsby and A.J. Moye each had six.\nAfter having to watch offense dominate Saturday, and three-point shooting at that, Davis saw his team hold the Boilermakers to 15 first-half points, two shy of a Purdue record for first half futility set in February 1982 against Minnesota.\nWillie Deane, who came into the game leading the Boilermakers in scoring with 19.5 points per game, was held to four points, tying a season-low he set against William and Mary. John Allison led Purdue with 12 points.\nThe defense was showcased during a 14-0 run midway through the first half as the Hoosiers (14-6, 7-1) grabbed a 26-10 lead with 5:07 left before halftime. In all, IU would hold Purdue (11-12, 3-6) scoreless for nearly 10 minutes in the first half. During that stretch the Boilermakers missed 12 straight shots and committed four turnovers.\n"It's shocking to coaches that those things happen," Purdue Coach Gene Keady said.\nAlthough the offense goes through Jeffries, he did not score during the run. Five different players scored the seven baskets for IU. Davis couldn't have been happier with the Hoosiers going to the locker room with a 34-15 lead.\n"I thought tonight, defensively, was the best we've played in the first half," Davis said. "In the second half I thought our guys relaxed a little bit. That's my fault. Going into halftime I really didn't know what to say to them."\nThe run in the first half turned out to be decisive as the Boilermakers would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way. \nA big part of that run was defense. The Hoosiers finished with nine blocked shots, three each for Jeffries, George Leach and Jeff Newton.\n"We just started communicating," Newton said. "Once everybody started communicating it was hard for them to score."\nDuring that 10-minute stretch in the first half that put the game out of reach, Leach had two blocks and Newton and Jeffries each had one.\n"It definitely changed the momentum," Davis said of the blocked shots. "Anytime you have a presence in the paint it helps. It stopped the guards from penetrating and driving. We're not very good off the dribble."\nAfter Allison, who at 6-foot-10 is the tallest player on the floor for Purdue, were Brett Buscher and Matt Carroll, each at 6-foot-8. Keady said his team had prepared for the taller Hoosiers in the paint, but couldn't get the job done Thursday night.\n"We had really emphasized this week that we knew that Newton and Leach and Jeffries were good shot blockers," Keady said. "You've got to be physical. This is the Big Ten."\nThe Hoosiers are leading the conference in blocked shots with 5.3 blocks per game in conference games. The blocks Thursday were particularly important in trying to slow down an explosive Boilermaker team that likes to shoot from outside. \n"The blocks we had early really gave the guards an advantage because they could play tight; they could play close to their man and not have to worry about them driving to the hole," Jeffries said. "Taking that three-point shot away from them really limited their offensive ability."\nFor the game, Purdue shot just under 38 percent from the field and 4 of 14 from three-point land. The Hoosiers shot nearly 51 percent from the field for another solid offensive performance. Offense is something most teams have, but IU looks to its defense to make the difference. \n"We know that we're limited talent-wise but if you dig in and work harder (on defense) that really gives you an advantage," Jeffries said.\nDespite a letdown in the second half that let Purdue get within 13 on several occasions, Davis was happy with the performance.\n"We have tough, hard-nosed guys," Davis said. "Overall I thought we played a great game"