Indiana

Indiana’s Turnovers, Poor Free Throw Shooting Costly in Loss at Purdue

Published

11 months ago

February 1, 2025

Indiana’s Turnovers, Poor Free Throw Shooting Costly in Loss at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Much will be made of the controversial final 30 seconds between Indiana and Purdue Friday at Mackey Arena.

Some thought Myles Rice was fouled on a jumper with four seconds left as Indiana trailed by just one point. Others argued Indiana coach Mike Woodson should have called a timeout before the play even happened.

In the end, Trey Kaufman-Renn’s hook shot with 11 seconds to play, along with clutch free throw shooting from him and Fletcher Loyer, were enough for the Boilermakers to secure an 81-76 win over their in-state rivals.

What made Friday’s loss even more disappointing for the Hoosiers – who led 67-61 with 5:36 to play came seconds away from a marquee win they desperately needed – was that it felt eerily similar to Sunday’s 79-78 loss to Maryland, when late-game execution fell flat.

“It’s very frustrating, because we’re right there,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway said. “And we got to keep fighting. There’s a lot of games left. But to know that we’re right there and that close to being able to find ways to win those close games like this is definitely frustrating for all of us, because we want to win in the worst way possible.”

But beyond the failures in the final seconds? Indiana made plenty of mistakes earlier in the game that it will look back on and regret. Start with moments where everything was in the Hoosiers’ control.

Indiana finished 9 for 16 at the free throw line, just 56.3%. Across 22 games this season, that’s Indiana’s the second-worst free throw shooting percentage, save for its 11-for-20 night in a win over Chattanooga. Oumar Ballo went 2 for 6. Anthony Leal went 2 for 4. Malik Reneau split a pair.

It’s also tied for the second-fewest total free throws Indiana has made in a game this season. The Hoosiers managed to beat Eastern Illinois with just eight free throws, but their other two games with eight or nine makes were losses to Iowa and Maryland.

The other killer stat for Indiana was its 20 turnovers, as Purdue made the Hoosiers pay for their mistakes with 26 points off turnovers.

“I think our biggest strength was being able to force them into 20 turnovers,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I think that’s what they have to look at and want back. Like, if they just have 15 turnovers, they have five more possessions, the game changes.”

That marks Indiana’s second-most turnovers in a game this season, only behind its 89-61 blowout loss to Louisville in the Bahamas, where it committed 23 turnovers. Add Indiana’s 17 turnovers at Northwestern, and its three most turnover-heavy games all resulted in losses.

The 20 turnovers were split evenly between the first and second halves. Reneau and Leal each turned the ball over in the first minute of the second half, which helped Purdue quickly turn a four-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead.

Five of Indiana’s turnovers came in the last five minutes of the game, four of which led to Purdue points the other way. Despite his strong play down the stretch, Galloway finished with a game-high six turnovers, followed by Leal with four and Ballo and Reneau with three apiece.

“The difference in the game was the 20 turnovers that we had,” Woodson said. “I thought that was huge. And on the road, you can’t turn it over like that, and they made us pay for it. They had 26 points off our turnovers.”

So instead of a resume-boosting win, Indiana heads back to Bloomington wondering what could have been if it limited turnovers and made free throws. With their fifth loss in the last six games, Indiana falls to 14-8 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play ahead of Tuesday’s 8 p.m. ET game at Wisconsin.

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Indiana

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Published

8 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Former UConn forward, NBC Sports broadcaster Donny Marshall knows a thing or two about talented UConn guards.

The former Husky played for legendary coach Jim Calhoun and was teammates with the fifth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, 10-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen. Watching UConn play against Butler on Tuesday night, Marshall said he sees a lot of Allen in reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins.

Mullins made the second start of his career against the Bulldogs. The former Greenfield-Central star missed UConn’s first six games of the regular season with an injury, but the 6-foot-6 guard is quickly coming into his own and showing why he’s a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Against Butler, Mullins showed off his sweet jump shot, going 2 for 5 from 3-point range. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

“He’s a scorer,” Butler coach Thad Matta said of Mullins. “He’s got a scorer’s mentality. He gets his shot off quick. They move him around and create some angles for him. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player.”

Mullins did most of his damage in the first half, scoring eight of his 12 points before halftime. The former five-star recruit was the highest-ranked player in UConn’s 2025 class. Butler’s top-ranked recruit, Azavier “Stink” Robinson isn’t the NBA prospect Mullins is, but he held his own after a shaky start to the game.

Robinson has been thrust into the starting lineup with starter Jalen Jackson out for the season with an ankle injury. Robinson looked out of sorts at times in the first half, going scoreless with two assists and a turnover. In the second half, Matta moved him off the ball, giving him catch-and-shoot looks, and opportunities to drive to the basket without worrying about running the offense.

The former Lawrence North star responded with one of the better halves of his career, scoring 10 points on 3 for 6 shooting, including 2 for 5 from 3 to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover.

Facing a veteran team like UConn, nothing comes easy. UConn’s guards harass ball handlers and getting into an offensive set is not easy. This time last year, Robinson was still in high school and, on most nights, the most athletic player on the court. Playing a UConn team where the goal is a national championship, Robinson was forced to grow, and he did not back down from the challenge in the second half.

“He’s coming along,” Matta said of Robinson. “That’s the first Big East road game of his career against maybe the best team in the country. It tells you how tough he is. He’s resilient. He keeps going.”

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Indiana

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Published

20 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Curt Cignetti has been named The Associated Press coach of the year in college football for the second consecutive season. He is the first coach to win the award back-to-back since it was first presented in 1998. Cignetti has led Indiana to unprecedented success, with a 24-2 record over two seasons. The Hoosiers are 13-0 this year, Big Ten champions for the first time since 1967, and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti received 47 first-place votes. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea received two each, and Virginia’s Tony Elliott got one.

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Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS — Some schools in central Indiana are planning to close or delay the start of their classes on Tuesday.

The closures and delays come in the wake of a difficult weekend of severe winter weather in the Hoosier State. On Saturday, a wintry system dumped more than six inches of snow in some portions of the state.

Points north of Indianapolis like Lafayette received between three and four inches of snow. Towns south of the Circle City like Seymour saw similar snowfall totals. As for Indianapolis itself, more than five inches of snow were recorded in some portions of the city.

After Saturday’s snow, frigid temperatures took hold in the area. A Cold Weather Advisory was issued for much of the state as wind chill values dipped well below zero.

The cold and snow triggered a bevy of school closings and delays for Monday. Schools began to announce delays and closures for Tuesday late Monday night as snow removal crews across the state continued to try to keep roadways clear.

Though some schools plan to close or delay the start of classes on Tuesday, temperature improvements are forecasted. High temperatures are anticipated to exceed the 32-degree freezing threshold and hit 36 degrees. The warming trend is expected to continue on both Wednesday and Thursday, with high temperatures forecasted to reach 40 and 50 degrees, respectively.

Precipitation is forecasted for Thursday, though temperatures are expected to remain warm enough for Indiana to get rain instead of snow.

FOX59/CBS4 is tracking the closures and delays schools plan to implement on Tuesday. Check out the latest available list of closings below:

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