IU junior swingman Will Sheehey scored a career-high 22 points and set a school record by connecting on all nine of his shots to lead the top ranked Hoosiers to an easy 83-55 win over intra-state rival Purdue on Saturday at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers, in control from the start, cruised to their 23rd victory in 26 games, and stayed tied with Michigan State for first in the Big Ten standings at 11-2. Purdue dropped to 12-14 overall, 5-8 in conference play.
Sheehey took advantage of increased playing time after fellow junior Victor Oladipo gave the IU faithful a scare by going down with an ankle injury late in the first half. Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean said afterward that it appeared Oladipo would be ok, but said the next 24-48 hours would determined the severity of the injury and Oladipo's availability for Tuesday's huge game with the Spartans at East Lansing. "I hope he's going to be ok. He thinks he's going to be ok, but there's going to be a lot of time spent in this building (the training room) getting it back to where it needs to be", stated Crean.
Sheehey record-setting performance from the floor came largely in the second half, when he scored 16 points. He said a good start was important. "If you see a couple shots go through the hoop, you know your confidence gets up a little bit."
Indiana shot the ball well overall, connecting on 30-54 from the field. Cody Zeller contributed 19 points and nine rebounds, Christian Watford chipped in with 14 points while shutting down Purdue's A.J. Hammons. Hammons torched IU for 30 points in the previous meeting in West Lafayette, but was held to just six with Watford checking him in the rematch. Jordy Hulls rounded out the Hoosiers double-figure scorers with 11.
Tip-in's: With the win, Crean's overall IU record is even at 78-78....Sheehey broke the previous shooting mark of 8-8 by several former Hoosiers, including Ricky Calloway, Matt Nover, Jared Jeffries, and Mike Giomi.
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