Indiana Locks Down in Final 5 Minutes, Steals Road Win at Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Indiana needed a stop, and then another one. And, for good measure, a couple more, too.
That's what it took to steal a road win at Michigan on Saturday night, as the No. 18-ranked Hoosiers held Michigan scoreless for the final 5 minutes and 12 seconds to claim a 62-61 victory. They did it in stifling fashion, making eight stops in a row to close out the game — and they needed every one of them to beat Michigan in a regular-season game for the first time since 2016.
It was their eighth win in nine games since Jan. 14, and they are now 9-5 in the Big Ten and 18-7 overall. For the moment, they are alone in second place behind Purdue in the league standings.
The Hoosiers weren't great early defensively, but they were in complete lock-down mode down the stretch. Struggling to score themselves, it was their defense that guaranteed a victory.
And it felt so good.
"Coming down the stretch run, we became so stingy on the defensive end that we refused to give up good looks and they struggled,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "We didn't do much better (offensively), but we got the cushion that we needed from an offensive standpoint to secure it.''
The final 5:12 was a defensive masterpiece, with one big play after another. The Wolverines, who led by as much as 11 points midway through the first half, had a 61-58 lead at that 5:12 mark after an Hunter Dickinson layup.
They would never score again.
On their last eight possession, they first missed three-point attempts by Kobe Buflin and Terrance Williams, then Dickinson missed a hook shot and Bufkin failed to convert a mid-range jumper with 2:27 to go. Jackson-Davis blocked a Dug McDaniel jumper and then Williams made a bad pass into the post that Trey Galloway stole for Indiana with 1:21 to go. Jett Howard missed a jumper with 38 seconds to go, and then failed to convert a desperation three-pointer as time expired.
Eight possessions, seven misses and a turnover. And, most importantly, an Indiana win.
"We get blocked and they come back and he makes a big block,'' Woodson said of Jackson-Davis. "That was huge, probably the biggest play of the game. It got us an opportunity to come back and take the lead. It was a battle. They didn't want to bend, but we were the better team coming down the stretch.''
Indiana didn't do a lot offensive in the final five minutes either, but it was just enough. Jackson-Davis, who finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, scored on dunk off a nice spin move to make it 61-60 with 3:40 left. On Indiana's next possession, Hood Schifino — who had 21 points and five assists — made both free throws at the 2:58 mark to give Indiana a 62-61 lead.
The Hoosiers wouldn't score again either, and missed a chance to end with when Jackson-Davis missed the front end of a one-and-on with 12.9 seconds to go. The Hoosiers were 14-for-18 from the line on the day, good for 77.8 percent.
Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino did the bulk of the work for the Hoosiers all day. Trayce played all 40 minutes — ''he's a young kid, he can rest tomorrow,'' Woodson said and was 11-for-23 from the field and 6-for-10 from the line.
Hood-Schifino, who had to dance around some early foul trouble, played 33 minutes. He was 8-for-15 from the field, and made all four free throws.
"They were the only ones that were really clicking, so we kept them in a lot of pick-and-rolls,'' Woodson said of his dynamic duo. "Fino was finding his gaps and Trayce had his rolls where he was able to finish along with some of his post-up stuff around the rim.
"(Hood-Schifino) did have six turnovers, but he's young. From watching film, he'll learn not to take chances, not to be lazy on entry passes to the post and not to be lackadaisical with the ball out front when he's handling it. All those things, with maturity, he'll get better. He played a solid game, and we needed every bit of his 21 points.''
They sure did. The pair combined for 49 of Indiana's 62 points. The Hoosiers were without Race Thompson, who was dealing with pregame knee soreness, and Jordan Geronimo started at the power forward spot. He and Galloway had four points each, Miller Kopp had three and Malik Reneau scored two off the bench.
And that was it.
"It was just the seven guys I played. I shortened the rotation tonight,'' Woodson said. "I just didn't feel comfortable putting the pressure on C.J. (Gunn) or Kaleb (Banks), so we were shorthanded. I rolled with the seven guys and they came through.''
Reneau played 17 minutes off the bench but dealt with foul trouble throughout once again. And Tamar Bates continues to struggle. He also played 17 minutes, but was 0-for-5 shooting, including missing two layups and a bad turnover.
It wasn't pretty, to be sure, but it was a Big Ten road win none the less. The Hoosiers, buried in a 1-4 Big Ten hole at one point, are now 9-5 and alone in second place, at least for another day.
"Guys, look, it's hard on the road,'' Woodson said. "I told those guys in the locker room, this is probably the biggest game since I've been here as a coach that we've won. Because you come out on the road and have to play a team like Michigan that's really good here at home and you get a win. It's huge. It speaks volumes for our ballclub.''
It's also something that was a major issue last year, closing out games. That hasn't been a problem for the Hoosiers this year at all.
"I'm still learning as a coach, man,'' Woodson said. "We had a lot of games last year that I had us close, that we were in, had leads and I couldn't get them over the hump.
"They're starting to feel a little bit good about their coach and they're playing for me and that means a great deal. Maybe we can continue to win games like this.''
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- WATCH INDIANA DEFENSE ON FINAL PLAY: Michigan had the ball with a chance to secure a much-needed win, but the Indiana defense stood strong to escape with a 62-61 win. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS DUNKS ON DICKINSON: Trayce Jackson-Davis caught an alley-oop from Jalen Hood-Schifino and dunked the ball through a foul from Hunter Dickinson. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS OPEN GAME WITH DUNK: Trayce Jackson-Davis continued his strong play on Indiana's first possession of the game with a two-handed slam dunk. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: It's primetime Saturday night in Ann Arbor, where the No. 18-ranked Indiana Hoosiers take on Michigan in a critical Big Ten game. Welcome to our live blog, where we'll keep you updated with all the news and views in real time, with opinion and highlights thrown in as well. CLICK HERE
- OPENING LINE: Indiana and Michigan are tied for second place in a crowded Big Ten logjam and the two teams get together on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Because the Hoosiers have struggled on the road so much this season, the Wolverines are favored. Here's the latest line, plus a great breakdown of both teams. CLICK HERE
