White defeats Red in scrimmage

The men's basketball team's annual Red/White game had the feel of a scrimmage despite being played on television and in front of 1,500 fans at Assembly Hall.\nTurnovers and airballs were common. Both teams often struggled on defense. And the referees earned their paychecks calling 27 fouls in just 30 minutes.\nSo it's not surprising that after the White team's 77-55 victory, the players and coach Mike Davis said the team isn't anywhere near a finished product.\n"At times we looked good, but otherwise it was pretty ugly," junior guard Dane Fife said after the scrimmage. "We got a lot of work to do. I think we may have took a step back today. I don't know how Coach Davis feels, but I wasn't happy."\nDavis said the team played with intensity for the first five minutes, but then there was a drop-off.\n"I don't think you can expect a lot from a game like this when guys are out there for the first time," he said.\nFreshman center George Leach's play was the biggest surprise of the scrimmage. Leach led all scorers with 21 points. He scored nine points playing for the Red team in the first half before switching to the White squad at halftime.\nWhile playing for the White team, the 6-foot-11 Leach had the opportunity to play alongside 6-foot-10 junior center Kirk Haston, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Jeffrey Newton and 6-foot-9 freshman forward Jared Jeffries. Leach scored 12 points in the final 15 minutes.\n"He surprised me," Davis said about Leach's performance.\nLeach displayed a soft left-hook shot and explosive dunking ability throughout the game. But after the game Leach said he wasn't pleased with his rebounding and defense. He finished with seven rebounds and two blocks.\n"I played horrible on defense and I didn't have enough rebounds," Leach said. "I had two blocks, which isn't enough for me. I got some things to work on."\nLeach was one of five freshmen playing in Sunday's contest. The scrimmage marked the first competitive game at Assembly Hall for freshman guards A.J. Moye and Andre Owens, along with forwards Mike Roberts and Jared Jeffries.\n"I'm not in Georgia playing in front of 200 to 300 person crowds anymore," said Moye, an Atlanta native, who scored 15 points playing the entire game for the Red team. \nIU has just an 11-man roster, so every player saw significant playing time in the scrimmage. The game started with Leach, Moye, Owens, Roberts and sophomore guard Tom Coverdale playing for the Red team. Jeffries, Haston, Fife, Newton, junior forward Jarrad Odle and sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby played for the White team. Leach and Owens moved to the White team, and Fife and Odle moved to the Red squad at halftime.\nThe White team, which started the game with three returning starters from last season's team, led 44-31 at halftime. A scary moment occurred with 5:13 remaining in the first half as Haston walked off the court with a cut below his right eye. He played in the second half and received stitches after the game.\nSeven players scored in double figures, including Fife and Jeffries, who scored 19 and 15 points, respectively. Haston was the game's leading rebounder with nine and Fife led in assists with seven.\nThe Hoosiers first exhibition game is Nov. 5 against Athletes in Action at Assembly Hall. The regular season begins Nov. 14 against Pepperdine in the first round of the Preseason NIT.\n"We have been scrimmaging five-on-five against the same guys everyday," Leach said. "We are ready to play against some other guys"