Hoosiers Get a Scare Before Pulling Away From Nebraska in 84-76 Win
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska had a 20-game Big Ten losing streak, and it didn't matter. It also didn't matter that Indiana had an 18-point lead at one point and were running the Cornhuskers out of their own gym.
Nebraska battled back anyway, and put a massive scare into the Hoosiers. But thanks to several huge defensive stops down the stretch, Indiana was able to survive, winning 84-76 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
How close? Nebraska actually led 69-66 with seven minutes and change to go, making a huge rally in the middle portion of the game where the Hoosiers couldn't get out of their own way. But for a team that's struggled to finish games this season, Indiana came through down the stretch when it needed to the most, pulling away at the end.
For as good as Nebraska was to get back into the game, they were that horrible down the home stretch. The Cornhuskers went 1-for-10 from the field in the final seven minutes, and missed the front end of two one-and-ones at the free throw line.
That allowed Indiana to get ahead, and then pull away. Al Durham, who finished with 17 points, hit a runner in the lane to make it 71-69, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had a quiet night early, scored inside to make it 73-71. He made four straight free throws to give Indiana a 77-72 lead, and then Teddy Allen, Nebraska's leading scorer, hit their only shot, a three-pointer, to keep it close.
Jerome Hunter forced a shot for Indiana, but then he got his own rebound and scored to give Indiana a 79-75 lead -- the ''nail in the coffin,'' Indiana coach Archie Miller said. The Hoosiers never looked back from there.
The Hoosiers had four scorers in double figures. Junior guard Rob Phinisee led the way with 18 points, a career-high, with 13 of those coming in the first 10 minutes of the game and helping the Hoosiers dash out to a 31-13 lead. It was their best ''first quarter'' start or the season.
Durham had his 17, Jackson-Davis finished with 15, and 13 of those came in the second half. Race Thompson added 11.
Nebraska's game plan was to take Jackson-Davis out of the game no matter what. He was double-teamed constantly, and they left others wide open in the first half during that huge run.
Phinisee and Durham were both aggressive early in spreading the floor, and with Jackson-Davis getting so much attention, the ball rarely left their hands. They each took 10 first-half shots, with Phinisee scoring 16 points and Durham 10. Jackson-Davis, the Hoosiers' leading scorer all season, took just one shot in the half, and scored only two points on free throws.
"Just being upperclassmen, we knew we needed to step up, but we just took what the defense gave us,'' said Phinisee, who played 30 minutes despite rolling an ankle late in the first half. "We just stayed aggressive and took what they gave us, and I fed off my teammates. They gave me a lot of confidence.
"They were going under a lot of screens and packing it in the paint, so I had a lot of open shots,'' he said.
Miller said no one has sold out like Nebraska has in packing the paint and not letting Jackson-Davis touch the ball. They were daring other people to beat them -- and they did.
"Nebraska is probably the first team that had that extreme level of making other guys shoot it. They were leaving guys wide open,'' Miller said. ''But Trayce came through late and he did get 14 free throws, which was great to see after the other night when we only shot eight free throws in 50 minutes.
Jackson-Davis was 9-for-14 from the line. He currently leads in the nation in both free throws made (79) and free throws attempted (111).
Indiana also had a big night on the offensive boards with 12, several of them coming in critical moments.
"It was a big emphasis coming out of the Wisconsin game,'' Miller said. "It's about second effort and you have to find ways to get second shots. I thought tonight we had some big ones, which was really good. That was a big key to the game, that and only turning it over eight times.''
Miller said it was good to see others step up when Jackson-Davis wasn't an option. Durham and Phinisee certainly did their part, but others hit key shots, too.
"I think we have more guys playing with confidence right now,'' Miller said. "We shot 37 percent from three and made nine threes, which is good for us. When you're getting good shots and executing better than we did against Wisconsin, that's a good thing,
"Trayce emerged when we needed him the most. But teams are going to do that. ''
Indiana is now 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the league. This was their first road win in the league. Next up is Purdue on Thursday at Assembly Hall.
