With 15 minutes remaining in the game, trailing by 9 points, IU men’s basketball showed a spark — even if it was just for a minute.
Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis rolled off a screen he set for senior guard Al Durham, who dropped off a bounce pass to Jackson-Davis before finishing the two-hand dunk. On the Hoosiers’ next possession, Jackson-Davis received a pass along the baseline. As Purdue sent a double-team, he kicked it out to freshman guard Trey Galloway who stepped into a 3-pointer and knocked down the shot.
Jackson-Davis let out a yell while he high-fived Galloway, and IU’s bench erupted in celebration as the lead was cut to just 9 points.
But that was as close as the Hoosiers would get before falling to the Boilermakers 67-58 Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena.
“It’s been a rough five games,” Jackson-Davis said after the game. “Going into the Big Ten Tournament, we need to reset our batteries and just be ready and locked and have a good week of practice.”
Needing to string together a handful of wins, including a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament next week to make the NCAA Tournament, IU started the game strong, coming out with the intensity and desperation needed to pull off an upset.
The Hoosiers’ defense swarmed to the ball, forcing four turnovers within the first four minutes of the game. Despite giving up 20 pounds to Purdue’s junior forward Trevion Williams, Jackson-Davis early in the game was able to push him off the block and deny him entry-passes into the paint.
With its suffocating defense, IU jumped all over Purdue early, opening the game on a 7-0 run.
Then suddenly, the game shifted. IU’s offense went cold, going on a five-minute scoring drought just as Purdue found its rhythm.
Junior forward Aaron Wheeler drained a step-in 3-pointer to get Purdue on the board with more than 15 minutes remaining in the first half for the team’s first points. As soon as the ball went through the net, the Boilermakers seemed to relax as they locked in and grabbed control of the game.
Purdue would go on a 15-4 run, taking an 18-11 lead that it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game.
Purdue was led by freshman guard Jaden Ivey, who scored 17 points, and forward Zach Edey, with 20 points and nine rebounds. IU held star forward junior Trevion Williams to just 6 points. Williams averages 15.6 points per game.
“[Edey’s] a very good player, regardless of his size,” Miller said. “You know, he's put on an island down there, and he's very difficult to deal with without question. He's one of the harder players that you'll guard.”
While the Boilermakers took off, the Hoosiers’ inability to knock down shots limited their ability to keep pace in the game.
IU shot 38% from the field and went 5-for-23 from 3-point range — including making just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
“In our last two games, two-and-a-half games, we're not shooting the ball well from the perimeter,” head coach Archie Miller said. “You're not going to be able to win in this league without shooting the ball a little bit.”
After looking to be nearly dead heading into halftime — alongside their NCAA Tournament hopes — the Hoosiers came out in the second half with the same energy seen in the opening minutes of the game. Similar to the start of the first half, IU’s defense dictated the play, forcing four turnovers within the first four minutes coming out of halftime.
On the back of its strong defense to open the second half, IU’s offense fell into a rhythm as it tried to claw its way back into the game. The Hoosiers went on the attack, aggressively driving toward the rim and finishing over the Boilermakers’ towering forwards.
IU would threaten Purdue’s lead throughout the second half, getting it down to two possessions before losing its momentum following a turnover or defensive breakdown, allowing Purdue to stretch it back out to double-digits.
The loss marks the ninth-straight game IU has lost to Purdue, with its last win coming Feb. 20, 2016. Miller has yet to beat Purdue in his four years at IU.
“I know a lot of my teammates are angry right now,” Jackson-Davis said. “We just got to put the past behind us. We just got to keep pushing forward, no matter the obstacles that we have to come into our face. We just got to keep pushing forward.”
