Hoosiers take down #4 Iowa
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Courtesy of IU Athletics/Mike Dickbernd)
BLOOMINGTON — In Big Ten Conference play, every game is its own animal. One game often has no bearing on the next. Just five days ago, the Indiana Hoosiers lost to Penn State on the road. That spelled major trouble for their next game against #4 ranked Iowa, right? Wrong. The Hoosiers defeated the Hawkeyes 85-78 in front of a raucous crowd at Assembly Hall. They improved to (6-1) against top-5 ranked opponents on their home floor since 2011.
Here are the highlights, courtesy of Big Ten Network:
Indiana fed off their crowd and got off to a huge start, leading 36-20 late into the first half. Iowa, however, is too good to go down without a fight. The Hawkeyes clawed their way back into the game, and only trailed 45-38 at halftime. They then started the second half on a 9-0 run and took a 47-45 lead.
The Hoosiers could’ve had a huge meltdown after blowing a huge lead, but they never panicked and remained confident.
“Looking around, I felt like guys believed we were going to win this game,” Yogi Ferrell said. “They hit us in the mouth a little bit, but we stayed connected.”
Teammate Collin Hartman added: “Coach (Crean) stayed with us, like he always does. He never quits on us and that gives us confidence.”
The Hoosiers went on an 8-1 run after trailing by four, and never relinquished the lead after that. Leading 79-76 in the closing seconds, Troy Williams found a cutting Collin Hartman for a dunk on the game’s biggest play. Some late free-throws sealed the deal, and the Hoosiers celebrated their biggest win of the season.
“Iowa is everything they’re made out to be,” Coach Tom Crean said after the win. “We knew we were going to have to play a very hard, competitive, and efficient game. And we found a way.”
Yogi Ferrell struggled with his shot for the second straight game, shooting just 2-of-12 on the night. Still, it’s an encouraging sign to beat a top team when your leader struggled from the field.
A key stat in this game was the bench scoring. The Hoosiers bench outscored Iowa’s bench 28-0. Indiana also had balanced scoring, as seven players scored at least seven points or more. “To have so many people contribute, it’s an honor to coach them,” Crean said.
Ferrell added: “That’s what’s so great about this team. Everybody is a key part. Everybody that went in tonight impacted the game.”
The Hoosiers have already tied last season’s win total (20), and still have six regular season games to play before more games in the post-season. They are now in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten Conference with a record of (10-2).
“It all gets easier from here. Now we get to go to East Lansing,” Crean said with a laugh.
Though Indiana’s schedule is tough the rest of the way, Thursday’s victory was a huge step in the right direction. This team regained any confidence that was lost last week, and will be right in the thick of things in the Big Ten race.
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