Rapid Reaction: Hoosiers Knock Off No. 11 Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Archie Miller has been waiting and waiting and waiting for his guards to claw out some victories for him. He got it Saturday when Indiana fought past Ohio State 66-54 at Simon Skojdt Assemby Hall.
That finally happened Saturday, with Rob Phinisee throwing haymakers early and the mercurial Devonte Green coming of the bench to make some big plays in the second half.
With the win, the Hoosiers are now 13-3 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten. It was the second time they beat a top-20 team at home this year. Florida State was the first in December.
Ohio State, which was on the verge of being ranked No. 1 in the country in December, has now lost four games in a row. The No. 11-ranked Buckeyes are 10-5 overall and 1-4 in the league,
It was a big day for sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee, who got his first start of the season after fighting through a myriad of injuries. He made the most of it. Indiana scored on its first six possessions, and Phinisee hit three 3-pointers to give Indiana a 16-10 lead.
Phinisee, who had scored only seven total points in Indiana's last four games, replaced a struggling DeVonte Green in the starting lineup, and it was the boost Indiana needed. He had made only six 3-pointers all season prior to Saturday. He also did a great job of doubling down on Ohio State star Kaleb Wesson and helping to keep him in check early.
Indiana's biggest lead in the first half was nine points at 25-16 with 9:57 left in the half, but Indiana made just 1 of its last 17 field goals in the first half to trail 34-31 at the break.
Must like the first half, the Hoosiers came out blazing to start the second half, scoring the first eight points to go back ahead 39-34. And once they got the lead, they weren't about to give it up.
Much of the second-half surge came on the defensive end, where additional pressure on the ball — something that's been a huge problem the past few weeks of poor play — made the difference. Getting steals helped, as did a few easy baskets on runouts.
Green had six quick points to get Indiana up 53-45 at the 6:57 mark. Then Indiana, which was just 10-for-21 from the free throw line at the time, made five straight freebies. Once Al Durham converted on a layup at 5:46, the Hoosiers had their first double-digit lead of the game at 57-47.
Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Rob Phinisee (10) shoots the ball while Ohio State Buckeyes guard D.J. Carton (3) defends in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Miller had threatened to shrink his rotation after several games of poor play by the bench guys, but all 10 Hoosiers contributed well on Saturday. Damezi Anderson didn't play because of an illness.
Green, who was benched for Phinisee, led that group with 19 points. Davis had only two points but he did a great job on Wesson, too, Jerome Hunter had 5 points, Race Thompson 3 and Armaan Franklin 2.
Green delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer at the 2:51 mark that put Indiana back up by 10 at 60-50 and put the exclamation point on the game with a dunk in the final 10 seconds.
The Hoosiers did a great job on Ohio State star Kaleb Wesson. He was just 3-for-10 shooting from the field.
NEXT UP: Indiana plays on the road twice next week, first at Rutgers on Wednesday night and then at Nebraska on Saturday night.
