WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana men’s basketball led with less than 20 seconds remaining, but the Hoosiers (14-8, 5-6 Big Ten) fell short of a stunning road upset, losing 81-76 to No. 10 Purdue (17-5, 9-2 Big Ten) on Friday night at Mackey Arena.
Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway’s floater gave the Hoosiers a 76-75 lead with 30 seconds remaining, but Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn hit a right-handed jump hook with 11 seconds left to put the Boilermakers ahead for good.
Indiana redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, who hadn’t scored all game, had his contested, off-balanced jumper partially blocked. Purdue junior guard Fletcher Loyer knocked down a pair of free throws, and Indiana didn’t get a shot off as Galloway’s pass for junior forward Malik Reneau was intercepted.
Kaufman-Renn hit two free throws, sealing Indiana’s fifth loss in its last six games and the Hoosiers’ third in a row to the Boilermakers.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako led Indiana in scoring, notching 25 points, his most in Big Ten play this season. Galloway finished with 15 points, sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo scored 14 and senior forward Luke Goode added 13 points, all in the first half.
Both sides started strong offensively. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Indiana led 21-20, sparked by 11 points from Mgbako and a 9 of 15 performance from the field as a team. Purdue, meanwhile, was 8 of 13.
The Hoosiers extended their lead to as many as 7 points in the first half and ultimately carried a 41-37 lead into the break. Indiana outrebounded Purdue 19-12 and shot 55% from the floor. Purdue junior guard Braden Smith led all scorers with 14 points, followed closely by Goode.
The Boilermakers wasted little time throwing the first punch to start the second half.
Amid two turnovers, four fouls and a pair of missed field goals by the Hoosiers, Purdue started the second half on an 11-1 run. The Boilermakers were 6-for-8 shooting from the field out of the locker room.
Indiana didn’t fold.
The Hoosiers, whose deficit reached 7 points with 12 minutes left in the game, regained the lead at 60-58 inside of 10 minutes remaining after Mgbako made a spinning layup. Mgbako hit a contested floater just over 30 seconds later, capping a personal 7-0 run that put Indiana in front 62-58, an advantage it held entering the under-8 timeout.
Yet with less than four minutes on the clock and the two sides in their respective huddles, the score was even.
Purdue took the lead on a pair of free throws from freshman guard Gicarri Harris, but an Mgbako triple on the other end gave the Hoosiers a 70-69 edge. Loyer scored an and-one on a floater, and after Mgbako hit two free throws, the Hoosiers and Boilermakers were tied at 72.
Free throws from Smith and freshman guard C.J. Cox pushed Purdue ahead 75-72, but Galloway made a pair of shots at the rim to give the Hoosiers the lead at 76-75. Indiana didn’t score again.
Kaufman-Renn's big shot, Loyer’s free throws and Indiana’s late-game offensive struggles ultimately thwarted the Hoosiers’ upset bid and sent Indiana back to Bloomington with a gut-wrenching defeat.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
