Free throws spark victory

Three nights after they managed just two missed free throw attempts at Northwestern, the Hoosiers found their way to the foul stripe 38 times Saturday night against Penn State.\nAnd by converting 32 of those free throws, IU found a way to climb out of a 22-8 hole early in the first half and scratch out a 61-54 victory against the Nittany Lions in front of 14,453 at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers (9-5, 2-0 Big Ten) were ineffective shooting the ball from the field all night, making only 14 field goals the entire game on their way to 28 percent shooting. They also hit just one of 14 three-point attempts.\nSaturday, the Hoosiers responded to their ineffective shooting from the floor by attacking the basket and working the ball through forwards Jared Jeffries, Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton. In the second half, IU hit 25 of 29 free throws.\n"Our shots weren't falling from the field, and I think we kind of counteracted that by drawing fouls and hitting free throws," Jeffries said.\nJeffries led the Hoosiers with 17 points, 11 of which came through free throws. Guard Tom Coverdale had 12, and Odle had 11 points and nine rebounds.\nJunior guard Brandon Watkins' three-pointer with 1:50 remaining narrowed IU's lead to 53-52, but the Hoosiers hit eight of their 10 free throws the rest of the way to secure the victory.\n"We shot the basketball poorly, but to win a game like this at home and shoot 20 percent in the second half, hey, I'm happy," Mike Davis said. "It tells you that our defense was pretty good."\nBefore all of those free throws, the Hoosiers fell behind Penn State (4-9, 0-2) by 14 on a three-point play by sophomore guard Sharif Chambliss with 11:22 left in the first half.\nChambliss scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the first nine minutes of the game. He got free from guard Dane Fife for open shots throughout the first half, hitting seven of eight from the field for the game.\nThe Hoosiers crawled back into the game with their defense and a 12-0 run, trimming the gap to 22-20 with 5:03 left in the first half. Chambliss hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the score 30-26 at halftime.\nDavis said his team was sluggish to open the game and said he wasn't surprised by the way Penn State was able to play in the first half. He warned his team of a possible upset.\n"Every night, this is what the Big Ten is going to be like," Davis said. "In the first five minutes of the game, they scored 16 points. And the first five minutes it was just our defense. We were giving guys open shots."\nThose open shots disappeared for the Nittany Lions in the second half. The Hoosiers held them to 7-of-22 from the floor in the second half. After the break, Chambliss only had six points and two shots.\n"All he needs is an inch," Davis said. "I thought (Dane Fife) came back in the second half. We never left him. We stayed into him."\nMore than their poor shooting, the Hoosiers blamed their even worse defense for their lackluster performance early in the game.\n"If we would have played that type of defense the whole game, it wouldn't have been nearly as close," Jeffries said. "In the last five minutes, we really turned our defense up and got some steals."\nWhether the victory comes with free throws or long range shooting, the Hoosiers will take it. And with the way the Big Ten season has opened, any victory is a good one.\n"We came out tonight, and we didn't play real well," Odle said. "But we got the win, and in the Big Ten, that's the most important thing. We're 2-0 (in the Big Ten), and we're looking pretty good right now"