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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 18 • 1 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com P urdue has finally beaten a ranked opponent. After a run of 13 consecutive losses against teams with numbers next to their names, the Boiler- makers exorcised that demon with a thrilling 67-63 win over then-25th-ranked Iowa Saturday in Mackey Arena. It wasn't pretty. The Boilermakers led by double figures at halftime over a Hawkeye team that lost its best player, Aaron White, to a stinger early on. But Iowa, minus White — evening the playing field as Purdue got only 15 minutes and zero points from its injured leading scorer, Kendall Stephens — roared back late to take a one-point lead in the final minute, cour- tesy of 12 straight points from guard Mike Gesell. Rapheal Davis made a three-pointer with 45 sec- onds left and Purdue closed the game with two defen- sive stands, rallying to win in the final minute for the second time in three games. It was a needed win after the Boilermakers squan- dered countless opportunities a few days prior in a 66-57 loss at Illinois. Purdue now sits at 4-3 in the Big Ten, awaiting Wednes- day's visit from 22nd-ranked Indiana. But it is not trending well in some very important areas. For one thing, Purdue has seen a strength become a vulnerability the past two games as it's been outrebounded by a decided margin in both. Illinois grabbed 16 offensive rebounds; Iowa 24, the most by a Purdue opponent this century. That's a trend that will lose a lot of games for Purdue if it continues. It's been a matter, it seems, of the Boil- ermakers simply getting outworked up front by Illinois' Leron Black (13 rebounds) and Io- wa's Gabe Olaseni (16). "I thought we played hard (defensively)," Coach Matt Painter said after the Iowa game, "until the shot went up." Likewise, Purdue's shooting has gone awry. It is a blow that Stephens is limited. He avoided surgery after injuring his left pinkie finger at Illinois, but is playing with a heavy wrap on his left hand and presumably experiencing discomfort. He played only 15 minutes off the bench vs. Iowa. "He never really got in the game," Painter said. "He was kind of lost for us in the game." Tom Campbell With Kendall Stephens (left) playing only 15 ineffective minutes in part due to injury, others, like Rapheal Davis (right) had to step up. And Davis did, scoring 24 points in the win over Iowa. 10 Unranked Purdue's win total vs. ranked Indiana teams since Mackey opened in 1967, against five losses. 1997 Last year an unranked Purdue team won con- secutive games over ranked foes as Gene Keady's squad did by beating No. 24 Indiana and No. 18 Michigan. 24 Iowa's offensive rebounds, the most by a Boilermaker opponent in 16 years (Miami, 1999). 1-3 Boilermakers' record in over- time this season after a gut- wrenching loss to Ohio State on Sunday. Sharon Versyp's team is 0-3 in extra periods at home. THE NUMBERS VOLUME 25, EX 18 • JAN. 26, 2015 Inside | Purdue beats Iowa, awaits IU 6-12 Wilson feature 17–18 | Recruiting 22–23 Football news and notes 24-26 Streak Broken With Indiana Up Next