The Barn Burner Trophy remains in Bloomington for the ninth consecutive year after Indiana defeated Purdue 78-56 on Saturday. The game was in the Hoosiers’ hands early into the game as junior guard Shay Ciezki found a running graduate guard Sydney Parrish on the drive to get an easy layup after a Boilermaker missed shot to make it a 20-2 game with 5:11 left in the first quarter.
Indiana played stout defense
The Hoosiers’ defense was stifling, shutting down passing lanes and forcing tough shots for the Boilermakers. Their suffocating guarding resulted in 13 team steals while also forcing 24 Purdue turnovers. Head coach Teri Moren pushed her team in practice leading up to the game as they had defensive miscommunications that cost them a game against Michigan.
Their defense dictated the game, cutting off passes, closing out with intensity and maintaining help defense. Indiana kept the pace in check, forcing Purdue into uncomfortable and rushed possessions with relentless ball pressure and sharp rotations. With hands everywhere, bodies hitting the floor — Indiana swarmed every possession, making each pass and dribble a battle on the court.
Ball movement was both strong yet sloppy at times
Indiana averages 16.4 assists per game which is No. 8 in the Big Ten and is a big part of the Hoosiers’ playstyle. The Hoosiers finished with 18 assists with senior forward Karoline Striplin leading the way with five of her own. They weren’t rushing to put up shots and instead were moving the ball around with hand offs, short passes and cut passes straight to the hoop.
However turnovers continued to be an issue for Indiana as they finished with 16 in the game. While the ball movement was sharp throughout the game, once Purdue entered a full court press in the second half the Hoosiers began to pass sloppily which led to easy Purdue steals. In the second half Indiana turned the ball over 10 times which led to seven steals for the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers were effective in transition
Controlling the pace is exactly what Moren wants her Hoosiers to do. She wants them to play fast and in control and that is what they did against Purdue. In transition on offense they had 20 fastbreak points with 27 points off turnovers. The two ball-dominant guards in graduate senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and Ciezki led the way for Indiana pushing the ball up the court in any opportunity possible to get points on the board. The Hoosiers also shot 50% from the field and from 3-point range to help move the offense.
Quick recoveries and disciplined positioning on transition defense kept Purdue from capitalizing in transition. Most missed shots or turnovers by Indiana were met with urgency to get on the other end of the court to stop the ball or force Purdue into a reset of the offense. The Boilermakers finished with just three fast-break points.
