Sweet Revenge

Interim head coach Mike Davis said he couldn't feel his legs when he walked on the court Tuesday before IU's game against Pepperdine in the first round of the NIT tournament in Assembly Hall. He said he was nervous and was afraid that he would trip over one of the television cables.\nBut Davis made it safely to his seat and guided the Hoosiers to their first win in the post-Bob Knight era, as IU defeated Pepperdine 80-68 before 12,025 fans. IU will play South Alabama in the second round at 8 p.m. Friday in Assembly Hall.\n"I was nervous all day today," Davis said. "Not from a coaching standpoint, but not knowing how our team would respond to the first game of the season, and we played exactly like I thought we would. We were nervous, tight, we missed easy baskets. But I thought we did a great job on defense, and we rebounded the basketball. A win is a win."\nIU had won preseason exhibition games against Athletes in Action and Marathon Oil, but Pepperdine was the first team to challenge IU with the zone defense. The Hoosiers began the game by making four turnovers in their first five possessions, missing shots and making poor passes. But late in the first half and into the second half, the Hoosiers were able to spread the offense and find junior forward Kirk Haston and freshman forward Jared Jeffries inside.\nHaston, IU's leading returning scorer with 15.3 points per game, led the team with 28 points and 14 rebounds. He suffered an injury in his right knee last year during the first two minutes against Pepperdine in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He watched from the bench with a torn lateral meniscus as IU lost 77-57. Haston said he wanted to win this game "more than he could put into words."\n"I had it circled and underlined more than six or seven times on my calender, and I think most of the other guys did too," Haston said. "It was very important. There was so much riding on this game. There were a lot of positives and a lot of pressure in this game, and I feel everyone reacted very well."\nIU took off on an 11-0 run around the 12-minute mark in the second half when freshman Jeffrey Newton was fouled by Pepperdine's Boomer Brazzle. Newton made the second shot to put IU ahead 57-51. Haston made six of the next 11 points on layups.\n"I thought that the way for us to win this game was to get inside," Haston said. "Every time we got inside, we got a bucket or got fouled. They were really pressuring our guards and gambling a lot, and that left a lot of room in the baseline."\nThe Hoosiers struggled against Pepperdine's press in the first half, and Davis said the team came out nervous and tight. IU didn't make a run until about the 8-minute mark, when it was down 21-18. Freshman Andre Owens went up for a three-pointer in the left wing and was fouled by The Waves' Brandon Armstrong. Owens began a 10-3 run when he made two of the three free throws, bringing the Hoosiers within one.\nPepperdine coach Jan van Breda Kolff was called for a technical foul seconds later. Haston, who led the first half with 10 points, tied the game with his second free throw.\n"We were very tight," Davis said of the first half. "We were missing easy baskets, but we did a great job of defending and rebounding the ball offensively. Our guys are too tense, and it's understandable. They've been through a whole lot and they're young."\nIt was one of IU's young players, though, who gave the team its first lead of the night. Jeffries slammed a dunk off an assist by junior guard Dane Fife, putting the Hoosiers up 23-31.\n"I thought our guards controlled their guards the whole game, and that was the key," Fife said. "We got hammered by Pepperdine last year. In fairness to us, we didn't have Haston, and Haston had 28 tonight, but we're glad we got a chance to show we can beat Pepperdine and got revenge. Every year, you have to prove you're the best, and that's what we want to do"