Another Purdue basketball thriller against rival Indiana, and another huge win for Boilers

Posted by author February 1, 2025 Basketball

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WEST LAFAYETTE − Another good old-fashioned Purdue basketball versus Indiana rivalry game to the wire.

In the end, it was a freshman who introduced himself into the series lore.

Gicarri Harris blocked Myles Rice’s jumper with four seconds to go and the Boilermakers hit four free throws in the final 3.3 seconds for an 81-76 comeback win over the Hoosiers at Mackey Arena Friday night.

Harris made two free throws after being fouled on a dunk attempt with 3:40 to go that gave Purdue a 69-67 lead and, after a 3-pointer from Mackenzie Mgbako, Fletcher Loyer’s conventional three-point play with 2:36 to go gave Purdue the lead right back. Fom there, the Boilers had an answer for everything Indiana threw at them.

In the first half, Purdue kept leaving the door open and Indiana eventually capitalized.

The Hoosiers went on a 9-0 run that flipped a 29-27 Purdue lead into a seven-point IU lead.

Piloted by point guard Braden Smith, the Boilermakers crept within striking distance by halftime.

Purdue basketball turning point

After getting fouled on a fast break, Caleb Furst made the first of a two-shot free throw trip. Indiana responded by calling timeout to give Furst a lengthy break between attempts. The freeze out worked as Furst missed the second attempt, but CJ Cox grabbed the offensive rebound.

That second-chance opportunity led to Gicarri Harris beating the shot clock with a fadeaway in traffic just before halftime, closing Purdue’s gap to 41-37 at halftime.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored seven straight points to start the second half and had a steal during that stretch.

Though the Boilermakers lost the lead multiple times in the second half, that burst put Purdue back in the thick of it when the game could’ve went south.

3 stars

Oumar Ballo, Indiana: He’d seen Purdue last season with Arizona. Without Edey disrupting his massive presence, the transfer was too good around the basket against the Boilermakers. While Mgbako had a big night with 25 points and Trey Galloway was huge in the second half, Ballo was steady throughout for the Hoosiers and finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Braden Smith, Purdue: Where would this game have gone if not for Smith, who held the Boilers together when things went awry? You’d be hard pressed to argue about the junior point guard as Big Ten Player of the Year right now. The iron man logged another 40-minute game. He had 24 points, 7 assists and 6 steals.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: Despite fouls permitting Kaufman-Renn just 12 first-half minutes, he was 4 of 5 shooting with eight points. His spurt to start the second half gave Purdue life. Despite defensive limitations because of foul trouble, Kaufman-Renn balanced it with unstoppable offense, finishing with 23 points.

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