Moye comes off bench with heart

Freshman A.J. Moye didn't run to IU's huddle after Penn State called a timeout in the second half. \nHe skipped.\nSmiling and slapping hands with his teammates, Moye was enjoying his playing time in IU's 77-69 victory over Penn State.\nHe might not have been the key difference -- that honor goes to either junior guard Dane Fife for shutting down Penn State's Joe Crispin. Or perhaps the title should go to junior forward Kirk Haston, who scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. But Moye was a big factor in the game.\nHe was the first Hoosier off the bench and contributed effort, hustle and toughness that interim head coach Mike Davis has been looking for all season.\n"I'm going to play the guys who are going to come out and fight," Davis said. "Moye did that for us tonight."\nMoye came in with 15:13 remaining in the first half, replacing sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby. Moye's defensive assignment was to cover guard Titus Ivory, who is built like he plays football for the Nittany Lions. The substitution looked like a strategic move based on size by Davis.\n"Guys who are going to play hard are going to play," Davis said. "As long as Moye plays hard, I'm going to play him."\nMoye snuck inside for an offensive rebound on a missed hook shot by Haston and put in a shot off the backboard to give IU a 23-11 lead. Later, Moye battled with Penn State's Jamaal Tate for a loose ball and forced a held ball. Moye played 16 minutes in the first half and scored five points to go along with six rebounds, four on the offensive end.\n"Moye's been grabbing rebounds like that in practice for the last five or six days," Haston said. "He's just a beast going after the ball. I love having him in there."\nIn the Big Ten season, Moye played one minute at Wisconsin and two against Michigan State. For the year, he's seen 87 minutes of action in 13 games.\n"I try to go out there and bring emotion and hustle to the team," Moye said. "Everyone on this team can shoot ... I got a lot of energy.\n"Early in the season, Coach told me to be patient ... you can't conquer the world in one day. He said just be patient, and when your time comes, be ready."\nDepending on the starting lineup, usually either junior forward Jarrad Odle or sophomore forward Jeffrey Newton are first off the bench. Davis decided not to play either.\n"I'm tired of begging guys to play," Davis said. "I just want some fight."\nWhile IU's bench contributed to the win in the form of Moye and freshman guard Andre Owens, Penn State's bench failed to help the starters. The three Hoosier reserves who played more than one minute scored 20 points, including nine by Moye and eight by Owens. Penn State played eight players off the bench who combined for only 11 points.\nBut that was to be expected. Penn State's scoring leader off the bench is sophomore Brandon Watkins, who averages 2.7 points per game. The next six players average less than two points per game.\n"This is the most fun I've had," Moye said. "It's really the first time I've played. Basketball to me is fun. Even on the bench, you'll see me waving towels and getting the crowd into it. Basketball is still the game I fell in love with in my driveway when I was 5 years old"