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 B raden 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 also finished with double-digits – 15 points and eight assists. Freshman guard Omer Mayer shined off the bench with 18 points – 14 of those coming in the second half. “It’s nice to get a win and obviously by that margin, but I think for us, that’s our expectation for every game that we play,” Smith said. “Obviously, that’s not always the turnout, but that’s always what we strive for and try to do. I think it was just a good response from us.” On the IU side, the Hoosiers looked disjointed from the beginning. Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson finally got going in the second half, ending with 20 points and making seven of 13 attempts from the floor. Senior forward Tucker DeVries also finished in double figures, finishing with 11. Seniors Reed Bailey and Tayton Conerway each had 10. “Nights like these are hard,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said. “Everyone knows how good Purdue is. When they are playing at a level like this, it makes it incredibly challenging… They did everything they needed to do to put us in some tough spots.” “We’re playing for a lot right now,” Tucker DeVries said. “I think it’s important that there’s not much we can do right now about this previous game, but we can learn from it and move on to the next one and use this to get ready for the next four games that are massive for us.” With the win, Purdue avoids the season sweep against IU, and this group of Boilermaker seniors finish their careers 4-4 against the Hoosiers. Next up, the 7th-ranked Boilers host Michigan State on Thursday in Mackey Arena, while the Hoosiers head back to Assembly Hall to face Northwestern on Tuesday night. ...read more read less