Indiana has no shot against hot-shooting Purdue
More: Purdue tops Indiana | 3-2-1 and Wrap Video
First it was Carsen Edwards. Then it was Ryan Cline. Then it was Ryan Cline … again. And just like that, Purdue turned a tight game at halftime into a run away 70-55 victory vs Indiana.
“Once they start hitting threes, they are difficult to beat,” said Indiana coach Archie Miller.
Miller had an up-close look at the Boilers’ hot hand in the second half, as Purdue saw its 33-26 halftime lead balloon to 41-28 less than three minutes into the final 20 minutes. The run was fueled by the Boilers hitting four of their first six 3-pointers in the second half.
“We were able to make those threes early in the second half, and that got them on their heels,” said Matt Painter.
And Indiana (12-6 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) never regained its balance in losing its fourth game in a row and seventh in its last eight vs. Purdue. It’s the first 7-1 streak for any team in the series since 1972-76.
“It was about coming out strong at the start of the half,” said Cline. “We knew we needed to shoot the ball well. I feel like I was on in the second half.”
Cline was correct. He and all of his teammates were on. Purdue hit a scorching 53.8 percent from the field in the second half, nailing 14-of-26 shots to improve to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten. Don’t look now, but Purdue has won six of its last seven with a game at Ohio State up next on Wednesday. Before this run of success, the Boilermakers had lost four of five—often in excruciating fashion.
How good was Purdue from long-range in the final 20 minutes? The Boilermakers made 6-of-13 from 3-point land (46.2 percent) after Purdue was as cold as the temperature outside in the opening half with just 1-of-9 shooting (11.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
“It was a combination of things,” said Cline in reference to Purdue’s regained shooting touch after intermission. “And we had some good play calls.”
Even Nojel Eastern--not a noted scorer--got in on things, hitting 4-of-8 shots by driving en route to 10 points and his first career double-double when he added 10 boards. Yep, it was that type of game for the Boilermakers.
Carsen Edwards led the parade from long range by hitting three from beyond the arc en route to scoring a game-high 20 points. While that wasn’t an eye-popping total for Edwards—who took some wild, ill-advised shots and was thwarted in an attempt to make a signature slam late in the game—he continues to evolve as a facilitator and decision-maker with seven assists and just two turnovers vs. Indiana.
The last two games, Edwards has a combined 13 assists and just three turnovers. He had an aggregate 14 assists and 17 turnovers in the seven games before the last two. Still, in the end, it was Edwards the shooter who provided the final and fitting punch vs. Indiana with—you guessed it—a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 24 seconds left in the game.
“We always talk about the importance of the first five minutes of a game,” said Cline. “Once we got the lead, we didn’t want to let up.”
And Purdue never looked back in a game it took over and dominated in the second half thanks to its hot shooting.
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