Darian DeVries only needed one try to take down his new in-state rival.
The first-year Indiana basketball coach led his team to a 72-67 win over No. 12 Purdue on a frigid Tuesday night at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are now 14-7 and 5-5 in Big Ten play.
Here are three observations:
Indiana gets first Quad 1 win in victory over in-state rival
The Hoosiers have had recent bad luck with Quad 1 opportunities: They blew a 16-point lead to Nebraska, allowed a 19-0 run to Michigan State and went without a field goal for eight minutes in the second half to Iowa.
Indiana built up an 11-point lead at halftime, and through the second half, it seemed as if the Hoosiers would lose their lead once again.
But, even through a late-game lull that included missing multiple crucial free-throws and Purdue getting within three points, Indiana put together enough of a game to finally get its first Quad 1 win halfway through the Big Ten season.
Indiana, sitting at No. 38 in the NET rankings, is now 1-6 in Quad 1 games. That signature win is crucial for the Hoosiers in their hunt for an NCAA Tournament spot.
Tayton Conerway dresses for game, stays on bench
IU starter Tayton Conerway has been playing limited minutes since he injured his ankle against Iowa on Jan. 17. He started, then played just two minutes against Michigan, then came off the bench for eight minutes.
On Tuesday night, he went through pregame warmups and dressed for the game, but never made it to the scorer's table — even when Nick Dorn, who took over his spot in the starting lineup, went to the bench in the first half with two fouls.
This is the first time since his injury that Conerway hasn't entered the game. DeVries hasn't provided a specific timeline for Conerway's timeline back to full health.
"Everybody heals differently, at their own pace. But yeah, he certainly hasn't been able to do a lot," DeVries told the media during a Zoom news conference on Monday. "... We'll hopefully get him healthy as soon as possible, and be able to get him out there and more of that full-time role."
Nick Dorn stays consistent, paces Hoosiers for second-straight game
After multiple foot surgeries took away his offseason, Nick Dorn had a slow start to his first year at IU. He slowly worked his way into the rotation throughout IU's nonconference schedule, becoming a trusted role player in DeVries short rotation and averaging 7.2 points per game.
Now, trusted with a starting spot after Conerway's injury, Dorn has flourished.
Dorn knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers against Rutgers, ending with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. He continued that strong play against Purdue, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4 of 9 from 3-point range), and getting a crucial steal near the end of the game.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue IU basketball score, Nick Dorn, Tucker DeVries game stats, takeaways
