IU Holds On For 81-78 Win
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BLOOMINGTON - In the past few week, at seemed as if Indiana was missing something.
Not no more.
With its key players, Luke Recker and A.J. Guyton, coming together and playing well at the same time for the first time since Big Ten play began, the No. 23 Hoosiers put away the upstart Northwestern Wildcats 81-78.
Recker led Indiana with 28 points, and Guyton added 18.
Recker's slashing and driving to the basket was contrasted with the jump-shooting ability of Guyton, giving the normally solid Northwestern defense a fit. The Hoosiers' 81 points is the most the Wildcats have given up in the Big Ten this year.
Michael Lewis added to the effort with inspired play to add 14 points and 11 assists.
Northwestern, no longer the doormat of the Big Ten, put up a fight, coming back from 16 down with 10 minutes to go in the game.
Led by sixth-year player Erin Eschmeyer, who finished with the first triple-double in Assembly Hall history with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Northwestern put together a 24-8 run to finish the game.
Northwestern simply fed off of Eschmeyer, giving the ball inside to him on nearly every possession, giving him the option to dish up top for threes, which Northwestern was hitting, or take on the IU double-team himself.
IU got a lift in the final two minutes of the game when William Gladness hit a three at the shot clock buzzer to break a 74-74 tie.
Northwestern had a chance with 10 seconds left, but a tough IU defense forced the Wildcats to take a nearly impossible shot.
"It's hard to come down and hit a three, and we made it tougher for them," said Indiana coach Bob Knight. "From our standpoint, I think we played the best basketball than any of our other games in the Big Ten. We made some plays at the end that we had to make."
In the first half, Northwestern came out hot, nailing three straight trifectas to go up by five in the early going, before the Hoosiers put things together offensively to take a lead they would not give up.
"This win was very important for us. Hopefully it brought us a lift," Recker said.
The Hoosiers, 2-3 in the Big Ten, have not lost a game at home this season. They have their biggest test Saturday against Purdue at Mackey Arena. [[In-content Ad]]
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BLOOMINGTON - In the past few week, at seemed as if Indiana was missing something.
Not no more.
With its key players, Luke Recker and A.J. Guyton, coming together and playing well at the same time for the first time since Big Ten play began, the No. 23 Hoosiers put away the upstart Northwestern Wildcats 81-78.
Recker led Indiana with 28 points, and Guyton added 18.
Recker's slashing and driving to the basket was contrasted with the jump-shooting ability of Guyton, giving the normally solid Northwestern defense a fit. The Hoosiers' 81 points is the most the Wildcats have given up in the Big Ten this year.
Michael Lewis added to the effort with inspired play to add 14 points and 11 assists.
Northwestern, no longer the doormat of the Big Ten, put up a fight, coming back from 16 down with 10 minutes to go in the game.
Led by sixth-year player Erin Eschmeyer, who finished with the first triple-double in Assembly Hall history with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Northwestern put together a 24-8 run to finish the game.
Northwestern simply fed off of Eschmeyer, giving the ball inside to him on nearly every possession, giving him the option to dish up top for threes, which Northwestern was hitting, or take on the IU double-team himself.
IU got a lift in the final two minutes of the game when William Gladness hit a three at the shot clock buzzer to break a 74-74 tie.
Northwestern had a chance with 10 seconds left, but a tough IU defense forced the Wildcats to take a nearly impossible shot.
"It's hard to come down and hit a three, and we made it tougher for them," said Indiana coach Bob Knight. "From our standpoint, I think we played the best basketball than any of our other games in the Big Ten. We made some plays at the end that we had to make."
In the first half, Northwestern came out hot, nailing three straight trifectas to go up by five in the early going, before the Hoosiers put things together offensively to take a lead they would not give up.
"This win was very important for us. Hopefully it brought us a lift," Recker said.
The Hoosiers, 2-3 in the Big Ten, have not lost a game at home this season. They have their biggest test Saturday against Purdue at Mackey Arena. [[In-content Ad]]