BLOOMINGTON – Chris Kramer made sure to give a little stomp while he was walking across midcourt after Purdue’s 78-75 victory over Indiana on Thursday.

Right on the IU logo at center court.

He said it was something, “I felt like I just had to do.”

But Kramer wasn’t done.

When he was leaving the floor, he gave Indiana students a little attention, too.

Kramer was waving his arms – usually a motion to get home crowds roaring – and yelling, “Yeah! Let’s go!”

This was not just another game for senior Kramer and his No. 8 Boilermakers (19-3, 7-3 Big Ten).

This was Purdue’s first victory in Bloomington since Feb. 9, 1999, snapping an eight-game losing streak at Assembly Hall.

This was the most points the Boilermakers had scored during that skid.

And for that – even though the Hoosiers (9-12, 3-6 Big Ten) are rebuilding – it was special.

“It’s awesome,” Kramer said. “It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before. Just to get this win in a very hostile environment against an in-state rival was just big time for us.

“It’s a great feeling, something nobody has ever done on our team, so to walk out after they were just heckling at us like crazy, swearing at us, a little bit of everything, you just let them know you picked up a game they wanted. They wanted to win, and we were able to get that win tonight. We had to show a little emotion, just like they were the whole game.”

Emotions were running high not only because of the rivalry but because this one was so tight – and that produced one of the most exciting games in the series of late.

The margin was never greater than six points in the second half, and E’Twaun Moore got it there with a floater in the lane for a 75-69 Purdue lead with 1:16 left.

IU stayed tight behind Verdell Jones III, who stuck a pair of three-pointers in the final minute and had a team-high 22 points. But Jones also missed a point-blank layup when the Hoosiers trailed by three with about 12 seconds to play.

Hummel sank three of four free throws the rest of the way to help Purdue secure the win.

Hummel and JaJuan Johnson scored 21 points apiece. Johnson also had a team-high nine rebounds and four blocks, and Hummel added seven rebounds.

Moore added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

“It was a huge win for us,” said Hummel, who also had some words for Indiana fans while walking off the court.

“We haven’t won here in so many years, and it’s awesome to finally get a win here. It was great for the rivalry. The crowd was great. It was just a big-time game.”

Indiana showed fight down to the final seconds. Jones’ shot at the buzzer from about 25 feet clanked off the rim, preventing overtime.

“You have to be able to finish things in stretches defensively,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “We just didn’t string together enough defensive stops. We gave ourselves a chance to be right there. I’m proud of their effort.”

sclardie@jg.net