Dec 14, 2002
Purdue-Indiana Statistics in PDF Format
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By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Jeff Newton didn't back off after missing his first six shots. He adjusted.
Newton kept going to the basket and scored all 16 of his points in the second half, including nine in the final three minutes, as No. 7 Indiana held off Purdue 66-63 at the RCA Dome on Saturday night.
"The second half, we wanted to take advantage of the pressure they were putting on us," said Newton, who also had 12 rebounds. "We knew if they were going to play us that close, they couldn't guard us if we went to the basket."
The Hoosiers, off to their best start since the 1989-90 at 8-0, had anything but a typical night.
The rivals usually play twice a season, but because of the Big Ten's rotation, the teams were only scheduled to meet once this year. To make up for it, the teams agreed to play a nonconference game.
Officially, Indiana was the home team. The schools split the tickets evenly.
Things were different on the court for Indiana, too.
Indiana's guards struggled from the outset. Freshman Bracey Wright was off after injuring his right wrist in practice this week. Senior Tom Coverdale didn't score in the game's final 31:34, and senior Kyle Hornsby couldn't get open.
The result was a dismal 37.5 percent shooting performance that included 3-for-14 from 3-point range.
But, Newton and George Leach came up big.
Leach finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, while Newton shot 7-for-8 from the line in the last three minutes and intercepted Kenneth Lowe's desperation inbound pass to preserve the victory.
Newton struggled along with Indiana's guards, until coach Mike Davis advised him to change his game.
"Forget that pull-up jump shot, take it all the way to basket," Davis said he told Newton, who became the first Hoosier with five straight double-doubles since Alan Henderson in 1995.
Purdue (4-2) couldn't match Indiana's power.
Willie Deane had 21 points and backcourt mate Lowe added 12. Forward Chris Booker had 12 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out and was the Boilermakers' only consistent inside presence.
Leading scorer Brett Buscher was limited to five points, 12 points fewer than his season average, and Purdue couldn't avoid its first five-game losing streak in the series since Indiana won six straight from 1973-76.
"With the 3-point shooters they have, you can't get down to help somebody else," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "We couldn't get a stop the last three or four minutes. Defense cost us the game."
Newton was the biggest reason in a game that didn't come close to the normal mid-December atmosphere.
The crowd of 32,055 roared with each call and basket and the coaches took turns harassing the officials. Davis pointed to the large screen television pleading for a goaltending call when Newton was fouled with 11:34 to go. A few minutes later, Keady was screaming at official Ed Hightower for a call that he didn't get.
The players were every bit as competitive. During a 3:30 stretch midway through the second half, the teams traded the lead eight times and tied twice - before Newton emerged as the difference.
He dominated the game during the final 3:13 when Purdue's inside players were in foul trouble. Newton shot 5-for-6 from the line to give Indiana a 59-56 lead with 2:10 to go, then had a slam dunk and two more free throws to make it 63-60 with 45 seconds left.
Wright, who finished with 13 points, shot 3-for-4 from the line in the final 24 seconds and Newton's interception sealed the win.
"We wanted to be aggressive, take what they gave me," Newton said. "They gave me the driving lane, so I took advantage of it."