A troubling trend or a blip? More second-half struggles doom Purdue in upset loss to IU.
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue guard Brandon Newman is doing his best to get his team and the crowd back into the game after a slow start to the second half against rival IU.
His buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half put No. 5 Purdue ahead four going into halftime. Purdue struck first in the second, but No. 17 IU answered with a 12-0 run. Now Purdue needs a spark.
Newman's playing full-court pressure defense against freshman star Jalen Hood-Schifino, harassing him every dribble up the court. His hustle briefly supplies a jolt of energy to Mackey Arena, as he quickly dives on the floor for a loose ball, forcing a held ball and giving possession back to the host with 12:10 left and the Boilermakers trailing by seven. The home fans appreciate the effort and Newman is imploring them to make noise.
The crowd is trying to come alive and Newman's attempted reverse put-back dunk on the ensuing possession nearly blows the roof off the arena. The junior guard settles for two free throws, cutting Purdue's deficit to five. The missed chance to swing the momentum proved costly.
IU scored on its next six possessions, stretching its lead to 11 and pulled away for a 79-71 win.
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The loss is Purdue's third in four games. Purdue held a first-half lead in each of the losses. Opponents are out-scoring the Boilermakers 125-80 in the second half during the skid.
"I just thought (IU) played better," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of his team's second-half struggles. "We have a nice play right away (in the second half). Zach (Edey) makes a nice pass to Caleb (Furst), we get a layup and then they just kind of went on that run."
Purdue made the necessary adjustments in the second half, but IU had a strong counterpunch. Hood-Schifino torched Purdue in the pick-and-roll early, finding his spots and pulling up for mid-range jumpers. Purdue did a better job forcing the freshman to pass the ball as the game progressed, and Hood-Schifino consistently made the right reads, finding shooters in the corners for 3s and feeding Trayce Jackson-Davis down low.
Newman tried to supply the energy once more late, picking Hood-Schifino’s pocket and drawing a foul in transition. Purdue had a chance to claw back, but Newman missed both free throws, ending the host’s best chance at a comeback.
Maryland used a 27-4 second-half run to defeat Purdue in College Park. Purdue managed just 21 second-half points in a loss to Northwestern with 13 second-half turnovers dooming the offense. Painter doesn't believe his team has a second-half problem, but something is not clicking once the team takes the court after halftime.
"I think they just came out with more energy than us for that first five minutes of the second half, which is something that we try to harp on to do ourselves," sophomore forward Caleb Furst said. "We didn't do it today."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball vs. Indiana: Boilers 2nd half struggles continue
