Indiana basketball needed a signature moment this year. A win like it got against Purdue did just that — ‘Tonight they refused to lose’

BLOOMINGTON, Ind — With each passing opportunity over the last month, the chances to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament continued to shrink for Indiana basketball. So, when Sunday ushered in the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers, IU knew it needed to find a way to turn the corner and get a resume-boosting win.

After 20 minutes it looked like it would be the all-too-familiar past, with another opportunity getting passed up. But like IU has done for most of the season — it fought, came together and found a way to put another exclamation point on its tournament resume.

“We’ve been in a lot of close games over the last month and a half, and I just haven’t been able to get over the hump,” Mike Woodson said after the 73-58 win over Purdue. “Tonight they refused to lose.”

After a tremendous start was erased, Indiana found itself trailing 37-25 at the half after scoring just four points across the final 8:39 of the half — leading to a 21-4 run for Purdue. Any momentum, energy and fight that the Hoosiers had in the first 10 minutes of the game was gone.

Then, the response.

Indiana basketball used a 21-3 run to start the second half, eventually leading to a 30-5 spurt to take complete control of the game. Indiana would go on to outscore Purdue 48-21 in the final 20 minutes.

“I really like how we responded in the second half because that’s what we’ve been doing all year is just fighting,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway after the win. “We’ve been in these games and we’ve been in big-time games where we haven’t closed them out. But we’ve continued to keep fighting and that’s all you can ask for, and it’s going to pay off. Just got to keep the momentum and keep moving forward.”

“I’d say the message was the way — from the meeting last week, Monday, we knew coming in that this was a must-win game,” IU forward Malik Reneau added. “Everybody had that feeling, and was ready to go for the game. I mean, when we got down and we were at halftime, it was the same thing. Just go out there and put your all out on the floor and let’s see the results, and it came out our way. So congrats to my teammates and me.”

Indiana held Purdue to  6-of-20 from the floor in the second half with one assist to 11 turnovers. On the flip side, IU was 16-of-25 from the field with 11 assists and just three turnovers. Purdue averaged just .677 points per possession in the second half, turning the ball over on 35.3 percent of its possessions.

Coming into Sunday, Indiana had lost eight of 10 games, including five by single digits and four by less than five points.  Part of the struggles this year — and in the Woodson era — has been the lack of a killer mentality. Sunday proved that was just in the past, however, as Indiana never took its foot off the gas and made sure it finished it out the right way.

Indiana now sits at 16-11 overall and 7-9 in league play — and with two wins over No. 11 Michigan State and No. 13 Purdue in two of the last three games, the trajectory of the season has shifted. In a moment that would have been easy to fold and pack it in, Indiana basketball has done the opposite. Instead, buying in to Mike Woodson and more importantly, buying in to each other.

“I mean, we’re a family, and we’ve been a family since we all got together in June, and through highs and lows, you’ve got to find ways to continue to stick together,” Galloway said. “That’s one thing we’ve really tried to preach this last week, even with what we’ve been going through and the tough losses, we still have a chance to compete and make the tournament. So our focus is just rallying around each other and really sticking together through thick and thin.”

With four games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, the goal of getting back to the NCAA Tournament is clearly still in play. Sunday only strengthened that potential, and in turn gave Indiana a win against its biggest rival in the final appearance for Woodson in the series.

“We know how much it means to Coach but it means a lot to all of us. It means so much to the state of Indiana,” Galloway said. “Everybody from Indiana knows about the rivalry and it’s a blessing to be a part of it. I’m just happy that we had the chance to go out there and compete and have an amazing atmosphere and great crowd today.

“I think it’s just really cool to see that and be a part of it and for Coach to have a win at home against Purdue because he’s been a part of it, too. And it’s not just him; it’s everybody who is a part of it. It’s special.”

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball routs Purdue on 40th anniversary of Bob Knight’s chair throw

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