Jan. 23, 2001
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kirk Haston scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Jared Jeffries added 14 points Tuesday as Indiana defeated archrival Purdue, 66-55.
But this game was dictated not by the inside play of Haston and Jeffries, instead it was the Hoosiers defense, which turned in its best outing of the year.
The Boilermakers' struggled offensively all night.
They shot just 36.4 percent from the floor, committed 18 turnovers and wound up with a season-low point total. It also was their lowest total against Indiana (12-8, 3-3 Big Ten) since March 1983.
Indiana took advantage.
After leading 30-23 at halftime, Indiana grabbed control by scoring eight straight points following Purdue's opening second-half basket. That gave Indiana a 38-25 lead with 15:29 to go.
Purdue responded with a 10-0 run to get within 38-35, but Indiana answered quickly with a 10-2 spurt that made it 48-37 with 8:50 left.
The Boilermakers (12-6, 4-3) didn't have the firepower to challenge again.
Purdue was led by Kenneth Lowe, who finished with 11 points. Four others - Rodney Smith, John Allison, Willie Deane and Maynard Lewis - each had nine points in the lowest scoring game between the rivals since March 1992.