Sweet revenge for IU with Penn State win

CHICAGO -- Last Saturday, while the Hoosiers (19-11) were being upset by Penn State, Jeff Newton was stuck on the bench in foul trouble, watching his team limp to the finish line of a tumultuous Big Ten season.\nAt the same time, Newton's counterpart, Penn State sophomore forward Jan Jagla, was out on the floor having the game of his career. He would finish with 25 points and eight rebounds on the night. \nBut things were a little different Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.\nA revitalized Hoosier squad took the court at the United Center looking to avenge the 74-66 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Nittany Lions six days ago, and they did so convincingly.\nNewton, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks, two steals and zero fouls, led IU to a 77-49 victory, while Jagla was held to 11 points and seven boards. \n"I wanted to come out and be as aggressive as I could," Newton said. "We wanted to really set the tone for the tournament in the first game."\nThe win puts the Hoosiers in the quarterfinals today against the 3rd seeded Michigan Wolverines and all but ensures them a berth into the NCAA tournament.\nOne of the most persistent problems IU has faced this season has been their tendency to let first half leads slip away during the final 20 minutes. It happened numerous times throughout the season and was apparently something they had on their minds headed into the second half.\nThe Hoosiers continued to roll as they put together a 13-7 run to increase the lead to 18 points with just less than 15 minutes left in the game. \nPenn State senior guard Brandon Watkins, who lead his team with 17 points, would not let the Nittany Lions go quietly, however. He converted a three-point play on the next possession after being fouled by junior center George Leach, which shrunk the lead to 15 points.\nBut senior guard Tom Coverdale, who finished with 13 points, immediately answered with a baseline three.\nThe score remained 52-34 for just over two minutes as the Nittany Lions missed four straight shots and the Hoosiers turned the ball over twice.\nBut the Hoosiers then increased the lead in what was arguably the play of the game -- a Newton alley-oop to Leach that put IU up by 20.\nThe play brought the players on the bench, as well as the fans, to their feet as Newton flashed an excited smile while back-peddling to get on defense.\nIt was one of IU's 23 assists on 26 made field goals for the game. \nCoach Mike Davis cited that stat and the fact that freshman Bracey Wright, who is the team's leading scorer, had a mere seven points as evidence of an all-around team effort.\n"It is definitely good for our team," Davis said. "(Wright) didn't have any points at halftime, and it showed when guys play good team basketball and find the open man, we are a good basketball team."\nThe Hoosiers went unchallenged for the rest of game as they outscored the Nittany Lions 27-15 in the final 11:24.\nCoverdale said the team was happy about the win but was now focused on tonight's game against Michigan. The game will air at 9:10 p.m. on ESPN Plus. \nDue to NCAA violations, the Wolverines are ineligible for the NCAA tournament, a fact that Coverdale said will make them a dangerous team to face this weekend. \n"I think (beating Penn State) is a start to us trying to obtain our goal," Coverdale said. "We've won one but we still have three to go. We see a very good Michigan team tomorrow. Tomorrow is their NCAA tournament, so they are going to come out and put everything on the line"