Indiana Stuns No. 12 Purdue Behind Enright’s Heroics and Raucous Assembly Hall Crowd
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For two hours on Tuesday night, Assembly Hall wasn’t just loud - it was electric. On a night that started with Indiana’s football program basking in the glow of a national championship trophy, it ended with a reminder that Bloomington is, and always will be, a basketball town at heart.
Indiana took down No. 12 Purdue, 72-67, in front of a packed house that didn’t sit for a single possession. It was the Hoosiers’ first Quad-1 win of the season, and it came in the kind of gritty, emotional, team-first performance that defines this rivalry.
And at the heart of it all? Conor Enright. The junior guard played all 40 minutes, hounded Purdue’s All-American point guard Braden Smith into one of his toughest nights of the season, and - with the game hanging in the balance - buried a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to seal the upset.
Assembly Hall Brings the Noise
Before the opening tip, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti and his players were celebrated at center court, trophy in hand. But once the ball was in the air, the night belonged to hoops.
Head coach Darian DeVries, in his first season with a completely retooled roster, made it clear just how much the crowd mattered.
“To start off, I’m going to say the biggest key was that crowd out there,” DeVries said postgame. “That was awesome. That’s what makes this place so special.”
And he wasn’t exaggerating. The building was shaking by the second half, with Indiana feeding off the energy and the fans pushing them through every Purdue run. It was vintage Assembly Hall - loud, intimidating, and fully engaged.
Indiana’s First-Half Surge Sets the Tone
After a back-and-forth start, Indiana flipped the game on its head late in the first half. Down four, the Hoosiers ripped off a 21-6 run to take a commanding 40-29 lead into halftime.
They did it with defense - harassing Braden Smith on every screen, hedging hard, and never letting him get comfortable. Smith didn’t register a single assist in the first half, and Purdue’s offense sputtered as a result. The Boilermakers shot just 45% from the field and went 3-of-10 from three before the break.
Indiana, on the other hand, was locked in. Eight first-half threes and a defense that looked like it had something to prove gave the Hoosiers all the momentum heading into the locker room.
Enright’s Moment, Dorn’s Emergence
The Hoosiers stretched their lead to 14 early in the second half and still held a double-digit cushion with just over five minutes to play. But as expected, Purdue made a push.
Indiana went cold, missing the front end of three one-and-ones and going more than two minutes without attempting a shot. Suddenly, the lead was down to two with 1:28 left.
Then came the moment.
The ball swung to the left wing, and Enright - who had just one bucket all night - caught it in rhythm and let it fly. Splash. A dagger three to put Indiana up 68-63, and the Hoosiers never looked back.
“No, honestly I make them more when I think less,” Enright said after the game. “I get open, so I just let that one fly.”
He finished with eight points, but his impact went far beyond the box score. Logging all 40 minutes, chasing Smith around screens, fighting through cramps - it was a performance that defined toughness.
Meanwhile, Lamar Wilkerson led all scorers with 19 points, and Nick Dorn continued his breakout stretch with 18, including four made threes. Dorn, now averaging 18.3 points since Jan. 20, is quickly becoming a key piece for DeVries’ squad.
A Rivalry Win That Matters
For Indiana, this wasn’t just a win over a top-15 team. It was a statement - that this team, despite the new faces and early-season struggles, is starting to figure it out.
The Hoosiers had been 0-6 in Quad-1 games before Tuesday. Now, they’ve got a signature win and a little momentum heading into a tough road trip to USC and UCLA.
DeVries, still early in his tenure, understood what this one meant.
“This is what I want it to be like. This is us.
This is our program,” he said. “And it’s our community, it’s our students, and I want them to feel their impact matters - because it does.”
And it did. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the crowd at Assembly Hall was relentless. And so was Indiana.
Purdue, now on a three-game slide and having lost in Bloomington for the fourth time in five years, will have to regroup. Smith still finished with 14 points and five assists, but Indiana made him work for every inch. He also turned it over four times - a testament to the defensive effort led by Enright.
Looking Ahead
Indiana moves to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten. With a brutal road swing on deck, this win couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s the kind of victory that can galvanize a locker room and energize a fan base.
As Enright said, “It feels awesome now. I’m tired, but it was great. I think we’ve changed our mindset these last couple weeks in practice, and I think it shows on the court.”
It showed Tuesday night - in the hustle, the shot-making, the poise under pressure. And most of all, in the roar of the crowd.
Indiana basketball isn’t just alive - it’s loud, proud, and climbing.