Braden Smith had a season high 24 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn made the go-ahead basket with 11 seconds left and No. 10 Purdue beat Indiana 81-76 on Friday night.
Kaufman-Renn finished with 23 points as Purdue (17-5, 9-2 Big Ten) erased a seven-point first half deficit to beat their biggest rival.
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Mackenzie Mgbako led Indiana (14-8, 5-6) with 25 points. Trey Galloway had 15 points and Oumar Ballo added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Hoosiers have lost three straight and six of seven.
There were six lead changes in the final four minutes — the last coming when Kaufman-Renn made a 12-foot hook shot to give Purdue a 77-76 lead. The Boilermakers closed it out at the free throw line.
Takeaways
Indiana: The Hoosiers have struggled all season against better teams, but this game was the exception. They took a halftime lead with their best half of the season and though they fell just short, it was a promising sign from a team that's been reeling.
Purdue: Coach Matt Painter has had the upper hand in this series in recent years with gritty, tough, overachieving rosters. A week between games might have contributed to a slow start, but Smith and Kaufman-Renn did just enough to win.
Key moment
Indiana had a chance to regain the lead in the closing seconds, but guard Myles Rice lost the ball as he drove toward the basket with 3.3 seconds to go. Purdue grabbed the loose ball and the Hoosiers were forced to foul.
Key stat
Indiana had 20 turnovers to 10 for Purdue. That gave the Boilermakers a decisive 26-15 scoring advantage off turnovers.
Up next
Both teams are back in action Wednesday night. Indiana is at Wisconsin, and Purdue is at Iowa.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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