IU men’s basketball extended two separate losing streaks.
IU lost its fourth game straight Saturday afternoon when Purdue took the 74-62 victory in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It was also IU’s sixth straight loss to Purdue.
In his time at IU, men’s basketball head coach Archie Miller has never won a game against Purdue. The Hoosiers have only defeated Purdue once since 2013, and the Hoosiers’ last victory came on Feb. 20, 2016, in Assembly Hall.
Saturday’s game was overshadowed by former IU coach Bob Knight, who returned to Assembly Hall for the first time since he was fired in 2000.
Fans were excited during the halftime show, which featured Knight, but the game as a whole lacked much for them to cheer for.
Freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was aggressive early and used his size to take advantage of the Purdue defenders in the paint but he was the only one who could find much success.
IU couldn’t make shots and Purdue amped up the pressure to force 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. It was a close game until Purdue went on a 12-0 run to finish the first half.
The Hoosiers had multiple opportunities in the first half to be in command but kept giving the Boilermakers chances off turnovers. IU didn’t score a point in the final 3:47 of the first half.
In the second half, IU cut the lead down to as few as six points with 9:03 remaining. The 7-0 run came after Purdue led by 16. But the momentum IU built was halted after multiple empty possessions.
Fans started heading for the exits as Purdue took a 15-point lead in the second half with 4:02 remaining in the game.
Jackson-Davis led IU with 16 points and eight rebounds, and eight different players scored. Sophomore forward Race Thompson made his first appearance since sustaining an injury in the first half against then-No. 11 Michigan State on Jan. 23.
There are only eight games remaining on IU’s schedule and four of them are on the road. Up next, IU will be back at home once again Thursday night as Iowa heads to Bloomington.
