Phinisee's Return Helps Hoosiers Get Past Connecticut
NEW YORK — Rob Phinisee means many things to the Indiana basketball team, and when he's out — like he was for the past four games — he is missed. After all, he is Indiana's best passer, best on-ball defender and, probably most importantly, the Hoosiers' best leader.
Phinisee returned from lower abdominal and ankle injuries Tuesday night when Indiana took on Connecticut in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, and he played a key role in the Hoosiers' 57-54 win over the Huskies. He played only 12 minutes and 54 seconds, but he scored six points and had four rebounds and two assists in his return. He had a huge offensive rebound late and made four big free throws to help the Hoosiers move to 9-1 on the season.
"He played more in tonight's game than he practiced all year. To his credit, he was ready to go,'' Indiana coach Archie Miller said. "From an experience level, he's played a lot of minutes and I thought he went in there and did what he does. Defensively, he impacted the game when he came in and offensively, he is steady and he is strong. He doesn't just fire the ball all over the place. He keeps it tight and hit two big free throws at the end as well.
"I'm really happy for him. He has had a really tough start to the year. He has not been able to get over the hump (health-wise). Hopefully, this is a sign of getting him back. This is the first time all season that we have had all 11 (players) available. That helped tonight.''
It sure did. Finally at full strength 10 games in, Miller used all 11 scholarship players in a tough defensive battle that required contributions from everyone. Ten of the 11 scored and no one made it to double figures. Center Joey Brunk and junior guard Al Durham led the way with 9 points each.
Brunk bounced back from a rough start. He had two shots blocked early by UConn's long defenders and missed four shots in the first six minutes. The Hoosiers' struggles on the offensive end helped the Huskies jump out to a 15-6 lead early.
But unlike last Saturday, when they fell behind early at Wisconsin and got blown out when they couldn't find any answers, they battled back in this one and eventually took control with a 16-1 run late in the first half. All of the second half was a dogfight and it was still tied at 47-47 with 4:50 left. Indiana went up 52-47 on a nice inbounds play that led to a dunk by Justin Smith and then Phinisee got an offensive rebound in the final minute and was fouled, knocking down both free throws to seal the deal.
Phinisee's presence also greatly improved Indiana's defense. Its ball pressure led to UConn turning it over 22 times, nine over its season average, That defensive effort was required, because points were hard to come by all night. The Hoosiers, for instance, were just 2-for-13 from 3-point range. Overall, they shot just 36 percent, and only 29 percent in the second half.
"All 11 guys have a chance to play, and I'm not afraid to play any of them,'' Miller said. "We have to be mindful around each other every single day of how hard it is to coexist with 11 players and expect to play.
"If we're about the right things and play the right way, this team has a chance to be pretty good. There is a lot of good experience out there.''
Senior guard Devonte Green got his first start of the season. He missed three games earlier with a hamstring injury has has been working his way back to full strength, too. He had a bad shooting night — just 2-for-10 overall and 1-for-6 from the 3-point line — but also played a big role in the defensive effort.
"We're all on the same page and we all want to win,'' Indiana's Brunk told ESPN's Holly Rowe afterward. "We wanted to turn the page and come out here and compete, and we did that.''
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Indiana's Rob Phinisee returned to the Hoosiers' lineup on Tuesday after missing four games. (Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY)
