The Hoosiers take down the Boilermakers in dominant fashion. Again.
Indiana took down Purdue in dominant fashion yet again on Saturday in Assembly Hall, a 22-point victory that’s only added onto the recent history of blowouts in the matchup.
The Hoosiers had won each of the two previous matchups in Bloomington by over 20 points, although the Boilermakers have made games competitive in West Lafayette they have yet to close out a win.
You’re always going to want to win a rivalry matchup and win big but Indiana needed this one after back-to-back disappointments and a tough stretch looming.
Here’s three things:
Sydney Parrish
This game is different for players from Indiana.
Teri Moren’s rosters haven’t been filled with Hoosier state talent, which hasn’t been a problem, but anyone who’s from the state has made a point of emphasizing this matchup and that’s probably the most true for Sydney Parrish.
Parrish has always been at her best during these games in just about every way. She plays tough defense and puts points on the board, leading the Hoosiers in the latter today with 19 off of a 7-11 clip from the field.
And she did it in just 24 minutes.
With this being her final year in Bloomington, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on and appreciate the career she’s had while she’s still wearing the cream and crimson.
Going up early
Indiana punched Purdue in the mouth hard and early. Katie Gearlds had to take two timeouts in the first quarter alone after the Hoosiers jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the first few minutes.
From there it was just a matter of game management really. Purdue put together a few runs here and there but never seriously threated to even make this one close. Any solid play from the Boilers was smothered not too long after,
The Hoosiers kept this one at a 20-point or so lead for all forty minutes with the exception of the first five or so.
The game was effectively over in five minutes.
A tough final stretch
As stated above, Indiana needed this one in a major way.
The Hoosiers’ upcoming schedule to close out regular season play? Home against Ohio State, at Michigan State, home against Maryland and a road trip up to West Lafayette for a rematch with the Boilermakers.
Every one of those teams with the lone exception of Purdue is ranked as of this writing. Indiana’s probably going to need to get at least one of those at home. Managing to knock off a tough Michigan State team on the road would be huge too.