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3 quick takeaways from Indiana’s 79-71 upset win at Purdue for season sweep

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

For the first time since 2012-13, Indiana has swept Purdue in regular-season play.

The No. 17 Hoosiers upset the No. 5 Boilermakers in Mackey Arena 79-71. Purdue led at the half 38-34 and got another double-double from Zach Edey (26 points, 16 rebounds), but the Hoosiers hung around in the first 20 minutew and took over in the second half, leading by as many as 13 points.

Here are 3 quick takeaways from Saturday’s rivalry showdown:

1. Jalen Hood-Schifino to the rescue

When Indiana knocked off a top-ranked Purdue team at Assembly Hall earlier this month, it was all about Trayce Jackson-Davis and Zach Edey. Saturday night in Mackey Arena, Jackson-Davis had 0 points in the first half. The Hoosiers, though, weren’t out of it.

Jalen Hood-Schifino was the star of the first half, single-handedly keeping Indiana alive with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. The Hoosiers trailed 38-34 at the break before taking over in the second half and going on to win 79-71 to complete the regular-season sweep.

Hood-Schifino finished with 35 points. He’s the first Indiana freshman with multiple 30-point outings in more than a decade.

2. Trayce Jackson-Davis showed up in the second half

Indiana’s star forward showed up in the second half, recording 10 points as the Hoosiers took the lead and put away the Boilermakers. Ten points is a season-low for the star forward, but they came at the right time. A team player, Jackson-Davis had a team-high 7 assists, with 6 coming in the second half.

Trey Galloway also stepped up in the second half, adding 10 points after just 3 in the first half. Galloway was 3-of-4 from 3-point territory in the game.

With Hood-Schifino adding 12 points in the second half, the Hoosiers had 3 players go for double figures in the second 20 minutes. Hood-Schifino’s first-half performance was MVP-worthy, but it took a true team effort to get the big win.

3. Panic time for Purdue?

Purdue is now a 24-5 team, with 4 of those losses coming in the month of February. When the Boilermakers lost to the Hoosiers on Feb. 4, it didn’t feel like time to worry. It was just the second loss of the season, and March Madness was still a month away.

Now, the Boilermakers have dropped 3 of their past 4 with the regular season winding down. The calendar turns to March next week. With the Big Ten Tournament looming, Matt Painter’s squad doesn’t appear to have flushed its losing ways out of its system.

Blowing a halftime lead at home in a rivalry game doesn’t look good with the NCAA Tournament just around the corner.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.