Purdue basketball’s comeback falls short against rival Indiana

BLOOMINGTON − Purdue had no answer.

No answer for Indiana’s in-your-face defense.

No answer for Trayce Jackson-Davis.

And no answer for Assembly Hall’s hostile environment.

Purdue’s Braden Smith (3) puts up a shot against Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

At least not for the first half and by the time No. 1 Purdue got to the second half, it was down 15 points in what proved to be just a big enough cushion in a 79-74 loss to the 22nd-ranked Hoosiers.

The Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2) turned the ball over 11 times, leading to 10 fastbreak points for the Hoosiers in the opening half, including Indiana swiping the ball away from David Jenkins Jr., and Kaleb Banks scoring a layup to close the first half that put IU ahead 50-35.

Purdue made it interesting, getting within 71-70 with two minutes left, but the Hoosiers (16-7, 7-5) notched a huge win.

Trey Galloway made two free throws with 12.7 seconds left and Jalen Hood-Schifino put a stamp on the upset with a dunk in the final seconds to end Purdue’s nine-game win streak and send the fans storming the court.

3 stars

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana: For all the talk of Zach Edey being the runaway National Player of the Year, Jackson-Davis has to be right there with Edey for Big Ten Player of the Year. The two were so good last week, they were deemed co-Big Ten Players of the Week, and on Saturday, they were the two standouts. Jackson-Davis’ team was victorious thanks to his 25 points and seven rebounds.

Zach Edey, Purdue: The Boilers’ 7-4 center had 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half, but it was overshadowed by Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers. To start the second half, Purdue dumped it down low and Edey scored eight of Purdue’s first 10 points. He finished with 33 points on 15 of 19 shooting and 18 rebounds.

Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana: The freshman guard didn’t have a spectacular game, but he had some spectacular moments in a rivalry game. When he scored, they came in big moments with three buckets halting Purdue runs in the second half and then had an acrobatic layup with 25 seconds left to put his team ahead five. Hood-Schifino scored 16 points.

Story continues

Key moment

Purdue trailed 65-61 when Brandon Newman turned the ball over. Braden Smith recovered and caused a missed layup on the other end, but Jackson-Davis trailed the play, hustling down court to grab a loose ball and throwing it off Smith’s leg to keep possession.

Hood-Schifino made it count, canning a jumper with 4:32 to go to push Indiana’s lead to six.

Key stat

Turnovers were a story for Purdue’s second loss of the season.

But it was turnovers in crucial moments that were the backbreaker.

The Boilermakers turned the ball over three times in the final 4:45 while trailing by one possession, the final one with 52 seconds remaining.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball’s comeback falls short against rival Indiana