Hoosiers survive in OT behind Phinisee and Durham
By CALEB LYNN
ISL Contributor
BLOOMINGTON — After an 0-2 start to conference play, a home game against Penn State was as close to a must-win as the Indiana Hoosiers could get. The criticism of Al Durham and Robert Phinisee kept building, however it was their energy and production that led the Hoosiers to the much-needed win. Thanks to their bounce-back performances, Indiana won by a final score of 87-85 in Overtime at Assembly Hall.
Indiana coach Archie Miller challenged his two veteran guards before the game, and made sure to highlight their contributions after the victory.
“Al Durham and Rob Phinisee, both guys played their butts off tonight,” Miller said. “Hopefully, that is a trend we will continue to build on.”
Junior point guard Rob Phinisee has faced criticism all year for not moving on if shots don’t go down. On Wednesday night, it was the return of “Big Shot Rob”, as Phinisee hit the pull-up jump shot with 13 seconds left and defended Izaiah Brockington to finish the game. For Phinisee, Indiana coach Archie Miller called him out by saying he needs to be better. In this game, he delivered offensively and defensively with three blocks and 11 points off the bench.
“We needed him,” Miller said. “He had a couple of key blocks and deflections. Rob is sort of the pulse of our team.”
Phinisee also mentioned how his confidence helped him finish the game with confidence. “I will do whatever it takes to win, come off the bench, or start,” Phinisee said. “I am just going to keep playing aggressive, and keep playing my role.”
Al Durham, senior guard for the Indiana Hoosiers, was also criticized for not being what they wanted him to be. However, in this game, he came out ready to play. He dropped 18 points and answered what Coach Miller wanted him to do.
“You can’t get down because we lost two,” Durham said. “We had to have a next-game mentality.”
These two both put up their best game in the big ten season this year, and for the Hoosiers, they need these performances. With IU’s perimeter offensive struggles, these two players are crucial to their success according to Miller.
“When guys start to feel better about how they are playing, we will be better,” said Miller.
Even with the play of Durham and Phinisee, the Hoosiers still have a lot of work to do in a loaded conference. They gave up a total of 47 points in the second half. As for how the Hoosier move forward with that, defense is the key to their success. Archie Miller in this tight game understands how the negatives can pile up. Yet, his guys still came out with the win.
“To say the least, we’re very excited to get the two-game losing streak off our mind,” Miller said. “Especially when you’re in this league, it weighs on you, it’s so daunting with what’s ahead. Nobody had more respect for Penn State than me.”
Though an overtime home win over Penn State is nothing to write home about, a win is still a win. Let’s see if Durham, Phinisee, and the Hoosiers can build off this victory moving forward.
