IU powers past Boilermakers

It took two months, but the Hoosiers finally secured their first road win of 2006.\nNot since Dec. 31 against Ball State had IU (16-10, 8-7) tasted victory outside of Assembly Hall, but the team bucked that trend with a 45-point second half Wednesday to defeat Purdue 70-59. The Hoosiers trailed by two at halftime, but shot 71 percent in the second period and 75 percent from three to secure the win. \n"In the first half I thought we played as poorly as we could play," IU coach Mike Davis said. "That'd be unbelievable to shoot 71 percent at home, and we did it on the road." \nJunior Earl Calloway and senior Marshall Strickland paced the cream and crimson in the second half, scoring 11 and 10 points in the period. All together, four Hoosiers netted double-figures in the game with Strickland setting the high mark at 16 (5-for-7 field goals, 3-for-3 3-pointers). \n"I think the key at this point of the season is to keep improving," Strickland said. "Keep expanding your game."\nThe first half woes were nearly too numerous to count. The Hoosiers shot 29 percent from the field and 20 percent from three, their turnover total matched their assist total and sophomore guard Robert Vaden went 1-for-9 and 0-for-4 from three. But several second-half surges would soon leave all that to memory.\n"It was a tale of two halves tonight for us," Vaden said. "The second half definitely made the difference."\nAfter Purdue's Bryant Dillon drained a three to start the second half, IU shot back with a 9-0 run that would expand to 14-4 before a timeout. After the break, Purdue fought back with a 6-1 swing of its own that momentarily gave the Boilers the lead 43-42. At that same moment senior forward Marco Killingsworth sat down after collecting his third foul.\n"When Marco picks up three fouls, we kind of look lost as a team (in the past)," Davis said. "We really played well when Ben (Allen) was playing at that five spot."\nWith Killingsworth sitting, Allen regained the lead for IU with a 3-pointer followed by a dunk from the 6-foot-3 Calloway after a steal. That paced another IU run, this time 9-2.\nDespite the IU charges, Purdue remained within one basket with less than four minutes remaining. But after a timeout at the 3:21 mark, Strickland nailed another clutch 3-pointer from well beyond the arc to give IU a six-point advantage. Another three from Vaden and a Calloway layup comprised another Hoosier run, and put the team ahead for good.\n"To win a road game for us in incredible, trust me," Davis said. "It came at the right time."\nThe win will leave Davis 9-2 all time in the rivalry match up, and marks the first time since 1976 that IU swept Purdue in consecutive seasons. The team has now won nine of the last 11 games against Purdue. The win marked their fifth straight.\nIn regards to tournament hopes, the team insists on taking it one game at a time. \n"If we can convince ourselves, we can convince the rest of the country," Calloway said. "Now we can go win in Michigan and put ourselves in good position"