Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson just stared out onto the court as Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn sank a pair of free throws to extend the #10 Boilermakers’ lead to five with two seconds remaining in Friday night’s contest. It was all he could do as time expired, the scoreboard showing the sold-out Mackey Arena crowd an 81-76 Purdue Boilermakers victory.
Indiana was led by sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who tallied 25 points and 5 rebounds on 10/17 shooting from the field. The two-headed monster of Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith once again led the Boilers through the night. Kaufman-Renn scored 23 points on an incredibly efficient 10/13 shooting, including the go-ahead jump shot with eleven seconds left to play. Smith stuffed the box score with 24 points, 7 assists, and 6 steals.
The Hoosiers parlayed a solid first half into a 41-37 lead going into halftime. Indiana shot 55.2% from the field and outrebounded the Boilermakers 19-12 in the game’s opening twenty minutes. Foul trouble and turnovers doomed them in the second half, however. Three Indiana starters (Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo, and Anthony Leal) fouled out in the game’s final minutes and Purdue turned 10 second-half turnovers from the Hoosiers into 13 points.
Indiana Hoosiers Coach Mike Woodson On The Loss
Speaking to the media following his team’s loss, Mike Woodson discussed the game’s final sequence. After Purdue took a one-point lead with eleven seconds to go, Woodson notably did not take one of his two remaining timeouts, opting instead to let guard Myles Rice push the ball down the floor and take a contested jumper. Purdue guard Gicarri Harris blocked the shot and the Boilers secured the rebound before icing the game with free throws.
Woodson spoke about what he wanted to do on the play:
“Well, once (Rice) took off I couldn’t get to him. It was too late… that’s just – we gotta connect better. That’s just the bottom line.”
Rice struggled all night, going 0/4 from the field and committing two turnovers.
Friday night was the third straight loss for the Hoosiers, with all three losses coming by single digits. Woodson spoke about his team’s frustration with their inability to close out these close games:
“It’s very frustrating because we’re right there. And we got to keep fighting. There’s a lot of games left. But to know that we’re right there and that close to being able to find ways to win those close games like this is definitely frustrating for all of us. Cause we want to win in the worst way possible.”
Woodson said he’s proud of how his team is staying in these games, but stressed that they need to start finishing them:
“I mean, I think the good thing is we’re in these games, but we’ve got to finish.”
Purdue Boilermakers Coach Matt Painter On The Win
“I think we hung in there. I think our biggest strength was being able to force them into 20 turnovers, I think that’s what they have to look at and want back. Like, if they just have 15 turnovers, they have five more possessions, the game changes.”
Alex Martin/Journal And Courier
Painter also discussed his team’s struggles in the first half. Indiana dominated the paint in the opening half and took a four-point lead into halftime.
“I thought they manhandled us a couple times at the rim, I thought they were quicker to the ball than we were. That was first and foremost… When you have a huge big guy like (Oumar Ballo) rolling to the basket and you stick shooters behind you on the outside — we made a living off of that, right? That’s what they did.”
Painter discussed Myles Rice’s failed game-winner attempt as well:
“(Myles Rice) limits himself by coming up the side of the court, so you can load up a little bit. He didn’t get deep enough with that drive. You’re on the move, so you’ve got to be able to guard him and load up right there.”
Both teams have a three-day break ahead of them before resuming play on Tuesday, February 4. The Purdue Boilermakers travel to Iowa for a matchup with the Hawkeyes (13-8, 4-6 Big Ten) while the Indiana Hoosiers head north for a matchup with the #17 Wisconsin Badgers (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten).
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