WEST LAFAYETTE—In the second of two meetings in this year's Barn Burner Trophy series, Indiana defeated Purdue handily, 77-57.
This gives the Hoosiers the season sweep over the Boilermakers and marks the 13th straight win for Teri Moren and the Indiana program over her alma mater, Purdue.
After falling in each of their past two games, including a defeat on senior night against Maryland, the Hoosiers needed a win like this to get back on track—and they wasted no time in doing so.
A 22-2 run in the first quarter propelled Indiana ahead, and it didn't look back, holding a substantial lead for the rest of the game and cruising to victory on the road at Mackey Arena.
Indiana shot 28-for-53 for the game, while Purdue went just 23-for-63, a testament to both the Hoosiers' offensive prowess and defensive strength.
Sydney Parrish led all scorers with 20 points, while Shay Ciezki and Yarden Garzon also had phenomenal performances, each finishing in double figures. Ciezki scored 18, and Garzon put up 15 to heavily influence the big win.
Lana McCarthy had 15 to lead the Boilermakers, but it wasn't enough, as Purdue couldn't generate enough scoring to compete with the Hoosiers, who needed this win badly to keep their tournament hopes in good shape.
With that being said, here's how it happened in a win that wraps up Indiana's regular season at 18-11 and 10-8 in Big Ten play:
IU TAKES CONTROL EARLY WITH 22-2 RUN IN 1ST QUARTER
In the first meeting between these two rivals, the Hoosiers opened with a 20-2 run in the first quarter. This time, they were even more impressive, surging to a 22-2 run during the opening period.
Purdue led 6-2 a minute and a half in after making back-to-back 3-pointers, but after that, Indiana was simply dominant.
The Hoosiers immediately responded with a Ciezki triple, followed by a Garzon 3-pointer. Both players stayed hot, each adding a two-point jumper to give IU a quick 10-0 burst and a 12-6 lead.
Purdue answered with a layup to make it a 12-8 game, but Indiana responded with another impressive run—this time a 12-0 stretch.
Chloe Moore-McNeil hit two mid-range jumpers, followed by two Ciezki free throws. Then, Parrish knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put IU in front 24-8—just seven minutes after trailing 6-2.
During that stretch, the Hoosiers shot 8-for-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. By comparison, Purdue went just 1-for-10 in the same span, creating a recipe for success that IU fully capitalized on.
Purdue added one more point at the end of the first quarter with a free throw, but it still entered the second trailing 24-9—a similarly daunting number to the 30-10 deficit it faced after the first quarter at Assembly Hall last month.
Indiana finished the first quarter shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep, while the Boilers shot just 3-of-12 and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Ciezki added seven points in the opening quarter, while Parrish had six and Garzon five, helping the Hoosiers build an impressive lead after the first 10 minutes of this rivalry matchup.
The second quarter saw neither team significantly alter the scoring margin, as each put up 15 points, keeping Indiana's lead at 15 heading into halftime.
Indiana shot 7-of-16 from the floor in the second quarter, while Purdue went 5-of-18. After lighting it up from deep in the first, the Hoosiers went 0-of-5 from 3-point range in the second. Purdue fared only slightly better, finishing 1-for-6.
Parrish added six more points in the quarter, bringing her total to a team-high 12 at the break, while McCarthy led her Boilermakers with nine, the highest mark in the second quarter.
Despite Purdue's efforts, Indiana maintained a solid lead heading into the final 20 minutes, thanks to its dominant 22-2 first-quarter run.
HOOSIERS AVOID PURDUE COMEBACK, WIN BY XX
With a 15-point lead at halftime, Indiana held off the Boilers in the third and fourth quarters, securing another one-sided rivalry victory.
In the third, Purdue cut the Hoosiers' lead to as little as 10, but Indiana immediately responded with a 7-0 run to push its lead back up to 17. This silenced the home crowd and allowed Indiana to finish the quarter with a larger lead than it started with.
IU shot 8-of-13 and added a 3-pointer but turned the ball over five times—something that nearly led to a Purdue comeback. However, the Hoosiers' response after Purdue almost cut the deficit to single digits made up for it.
The Boilers shot 9-of-18 from the field for their best percentage of the game, but they didn't do enough to put pressure on Indiana, which held a 63-44 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Indiana cruised, maintaining a 20-point lead for most of the period. Shots continued to fall for the Hoosiers, while Purdue couldn’t generate enough offense to make a late push.
Indiana shot 4-for-10 in the final quarter while holding the Boilers to 6-for-15 shooting, making it clear that, despite its comfortable lead, it wouldn’t allow Purdue any easy baskets.
Both Garzon and Parrish continued to produce for the Hoosiers—Garzon scored 10 in the second half, while Parrish put up eight in the final 20 minutes.
Purdue didn’t have a single scorer match Garzon’s second-half total, as the Boilermakers’ offense remained stagnant while the Hoosiers raced toward the finish line with a commanding lead.
All of this resulted in another dominant Indiana win in the rivalry series—the 13th straight victory for the Hoosiers over the Boilers and the 11th by double digits in that span.
This wraps up the Hoosiers' regular season at 18-11 and 10-8 in conference play. IU will return to action Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
INDIANA REMAINS ON TRACK FOR AN NCAA TOURNAMENT BERTH
While the Hoosiers lost back-to-back games before their matchup with Purdue, this win likely keeps IU safe in the NCAA Tournament discussion. Had Indiana lost, things may have gotten tricky, but the Hoosiers knew what was at stake and took care of business.
Before Sunday's game, Charlie Creme of ESPN projected the Hoosiers as a No. 10 seed in his "last four byes." With the dominance they showed against the Boilers, it’s logical to suspect that Indiana will be dancing for the sixth straight tournament dating back to 2019.
Of course, these are just projections, and Indiana remains in the bubble discussion, but the Hoosiers are in a solid position heading into the Big Ten Tournament. A strong showing there could provide additional résumé boosts as they look to create more breathing room in the tournament conversation.
FINAL STATS
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