BLOOMINGTON | It was a classic Big Ten finish fitting of a classic in-state rivalry.
Upstart Indiana nearly pulled off the improbable and upset No. 8 Purdue, but sophomore guard Verdell Jones III's last-second 3 pointer, which would have forced overtime, circled around the cylinder before rolling off the rim and harmlessly to the court.
The once-fervent sellout crowd of mostly crimson-clad fans fell silent and the high-fiving Purdue players headed the 2 1/2-hour ride back to West Lafayette with a 78-75 win, their fifth straight. The seesaw game featured 10 ties and seven lead changes.
The Boilermakers won in Bloomington for the first time since 1999, snapping an eight-game road skid against the Hoosiers.
"Obviously, this is a great college basketball atmosphere," Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said. "You've got to give our guys credit for hanging in there and showing some poise."
Purdue junior forward Robbie Hummel, a Valparaiso graduate, was huge down the stretch. Hummel scored eight of the Boilermakers' final 10 points, with an E'Twaun Moore jumper sandwiched in, including 3-of-4 free throws for Purdue's final points.
Hummel and junior center JaJuan Johnson led the Boilers with 21 points each and Moore, an E.C. Central grad, added 14. It was the 19th consecutive game both Hummel and Moore have reached double figures. The 6-foot-10 Johnson added nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
"We definitely weren't looking ahead," Moore said. "We knew it was going to be a hostile environment. We knew it was going to be a tough game."
Said Hummel: "We wouldn't expect any less coming here. They'll get the same treatment when they come to West Lafayette (on March 3)."
The young Hoosiers, which started a pair each of freshmen and sophomores, played with poise in the first half. Indiana came in averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, while the smothering Boilermakers entered having forced their opponents into 11 more turnovers than they had committed. Yet in the first half, it was the Hoosiers taking better control of the ball with just five turnovers to Purdue's six.
Sophomore forward Tom Pritchard, who came in averaging just 2.8 points per game, led IU with 13 in the first half as the Hoosiers built a 47-43 lead. Pritchard didn't score again.
Purdue (19-3, 7-3) attacked the basket in the second half and connected on 15-of-20 free throws, while Indiana (9-12, 3-6) shot just 2-of-5 from the foul line.
"The big thing for us is how many times we get three stops in a row defensively and we only did that twice," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "For us to continue to compete in games like this, we have to be better defensively for longer periods of time."
Jones III led all scorers with 22 points. Senior Devan Dumes added 11.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
No. 8 Purdue 78, Indiana 75
Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson each had 21 points for the Boilermakers.
More inside
Notre Dame takes on Cincinnati in South Bend. PAGE B8
Valparaiso loses close call to Wright State. PAGE B9
