#7 Purdue puts hammer down on Indiana, beating Hoosiers 93-64

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — As the saying goes, No. 7 Purdue put the hammer down on rival Indiana Friday night, beating the Hoosiers 93-64.

The Boilermakers dominated from the jump, never allowing the Hoosiers to even sniff a lead. The game-opening back-to-back threes from senior guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer was the spark that lit an unquenchable fire.

Purdue ran out to a 46-29 lead at halftime and never looked back after the break. The highlight of the night coming less than three minutes into that second half, as Smith sent a no-look pass from underneath the basket to a wide open Loyer in the corner for three.

“I thought this was a great bounce back for our guys,” Purdue head basketball coach Matt Painter said. “Not being able to win a Big Ten Championship is tough, but we’re the ones that lost the games, so we have to try to get better and try to improve… because it’s hard to take.”

The Purdue seniors commanded the game in what could be their last chance against the rival Hoosiers. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-10 from the floor and collecting six rebounds. Meanwhile, Loyer added 18 points to Purdue’s total with a perfect 4-4 from long range. Smith a...