Jan 31, 2002
Purdue-Indiana Box Score in PDF Format
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By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Jared Jeffries had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Indiana used another strong defensive effort to beat Purdue 66-52 Thursday night.
It was the third straight Big Ten victory for the Hoosiers (14-6, 7-1), who regained a share of the conference lead with Ohio State. It also was Indiana's fourth straight victory in the series against its upstate rival.
Purdue (11-12, 3-6), which had a modest two-game winning streak snapped, was led by John Allison with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Unlike Sunday, when Indiana set a Big Ten record with 17 3-point baskets in a victory over Illinois, it was the Hoosiers' ability to go inside consistently that hurt the Boilermakers.
Jeffries dominated the middle, and Purdue couldn't crack the Indiana defense.
Indiana forced nine turnovers and had five blocks in the first half alone, giving the Boilermakers few opportunities. At one point, Purdue missed 12 straight shots, which forced the Boilermakers to play catch-up the rest of the game.
It also was defense that allowed Indiana to score 14 unanswered points during a 9:40 stretch in the first half to take control. That run turned a 12-10 lead to 26-10 with 5:07 to go.
Indiana continued to push the lead to 34-15 at halftime, a season-low for first-half points by the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers broke to a 43-19 lead early in the second half before Purdue finally responded with a 14-4 spurt that got them within 47-33. Purdue failed to make a serious challenge after that.