Trio of standout seniors plays last home game in win

Last night's game against Minnesota was the final opportunity for IU fans to erupt in cheers after a three-pointer from guards Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby, and the last time they could yell "Newwwt" after forward Jeff Newton blocked a shot or threw down a dunk.\nIt was the Hoosiers' final home game of the Big Ten regular season and it was Senior Night -- the last time Coverdale, Hornsby and Newton would take the Assembly Hall court as members of the team.\n"This group of seniors has really accomplished a lot in their time here at Indiana," coach Mike Davis said. "All three guys have really overachieved, and I'm really happy for all of them."\nThe crowd made its appreciation felt throughout the game, beginning with standing ovations for both Newton and Coverdale when their names were called during the starting lineups.\nHornsby, who has not started a game since Feb. 8 at Michigan State, was on the bench to begin the game again tonight, but when he finally entered the game with 10:33 left before halftime, he received a warm welcome from the crowd as well.\nAfter the team's 74-70 win over the Gophers, Davis and his seniors each took a turn addressing the fans. \nWhen Davis spoke, one member of the crowd decided to make his voice heard, yelling that he should have started Hornsby, who hit a three from the corner with 2:41 left in the game to make the score increase the Hoosiers' lead to six points.\nDavis took the comment in stride.\n"We'll start him next time," he said with a smile.\nHornsby, who finished the game with nine points, said he understood why he didn't get the nod to start.\n"We've actually won two in a row so personally I wouldn't change the lineup either if I were Coach Davis," he said. "We seem to be playing all right; I'd keep it the same way."\nNewton had the most productive stat line of the three seniors, posting 22 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.\n"It felt great," Newton said of his performance. "It's good to go out on a good note, especially when you win."\nWhile Newton was the player of the game, Coverdale and Hornsby also played integral roles in achieving the win that raises IU to 8-7 in the Big Ten.\nAside from the baseline three, Hornsby contributed intangibles that won't show up in the stat line. \nWith only seconds left in the game and the Hoosiers up three, Minnesota sophomore guard Maurice Hargrow came up with an offensive rebound that could have provided the Gophers with one last chance to tie. But Hornsby was right there and stripped Hargrow, which led to a jump-ball with 13 seconds left and granted IU possession. \nMinnesota was forced to foul, sending freshman guard Bracey Wright and then Coverdale to the foul line, putting the game out of reach.\n"I think all three of us were just looking at each other thinking we can't lose this game," Hornsby said. "We needed this. We needed this game to continue on (in the postseason), and we needed this game to make this night special for us. There's not too many that lose on this night, and we didn't want to be one of them so it was huge."\nCoverdale did not score in double figures in the game, finishing just short with nine. But he continually found the open man and ended up with eight assists.\nWhen Davis introduced Coverdale after the game, he said the senior guard was "one of the best basketball players in the country."\n"He is the ultimate Indiana basketball player," Davis told the crowd. "This basketball team goes as Tom Coverdale goes. Here's a guy who played 41 minutes his first year and now is up for the Wooden award and he told me that we were going to be the best basketball team in the country in March."\nCoverdale said he wanted to be remembered at IU by making another trip to the Final Four. \n"My ultimate goal would be to be the first team to go to two straight Final Fours," he said. "That's never happened at Indiana, so that's my main goal"