Hoosiers drop fourth game in a row, 7 of last 8

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern used clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to defeat IU 63-59 Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. \nNorthwestern (13-12, 7-6 Big Ten) made 13 of 15 freethrows in the final 4:38 to seal the victory.\nThe Wildcats only made one field goal in that span, and the Hoosiers were able to cut it to two points with 3.1 seconds remaining.\nBut it was not enough, and IU (12-13, 6-8) is now in the midst of a four-game losing streak.\n"It's tough when you keep coming up two or three points short every time," sophomore guard Bracey Wright said. "The biggest thing we can't do right now is give up. I'm glad that we didn't, and for however many games left we're going to have, we've got to fight to the end."\nIU trailed 32-22 at the half, but went on a 17-7 run to open the second half. The Hoosiers tied up the game at 39 a piece with 11:35 left when sophomore guard Marshall Strickland hit a three-pointer.\nThe Wildcats would stretch their lead to as many as eight, but the Hoosiers wouldn't go away.\n"I thought it was a pretty well played game," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "They killed us on the backboards like they did in Bloomington. We were fortunate to knock down some foul shots … Indiana didn't quit. They just kept coming at us, coming at us."\nNorthwestern sophomore forward Vedran Vukusic, who did not play against IU the first time the two teams met, led the Wildcats with 23 points and was a perfect 8-8 form the free-throw line.\n"We got ourselves into a position in the first half, and it killed us," senior center George Leach said. "We gave up 20 points to Vukusic and (senior guard) Jitim Young. It's all on defense."\nIU coach Mike Davis was pleased with the effort in the second half. He said he was happy with the improvement some of the players are showing and said it's a learning experience for them. Davis said the team just needs a win to get things going.\n"We're not setting up for the Big Ten Tournament," Davis said. "I'm just trying to win every game. They're trying to win every game. It's just once the confidence goes, it's hard to get it back."\nThe shooting woes continued for Wright. He shot 5-17 and 0-9 behind the arc. Late in the season, it may be tired legs, but that's something he said he has to play through.\n"I can't let that get to me cause if they are, I have to push through it," Wright said. "I think it's just not falling for me. I've got to keep shooting, and that's the only way I'm ever going to get out."\nWright scored a team-high 17, and Strickland ended with 14. Freshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. played 27 minutes, scoring eight points and pulling down 12 rebounds.\nStrickland said the team still has to play loose despite all the pressure they are facing.\n"Every game counts," Strickland said. "We're trying to win every game. We fought hard in the second half particularly. I think that effort will translate into wins. I think it's easy to let it all hang out because that's all we have. All we have is a couple of games left if we don't do it right. I think that is motivation enough to go all out every play."\n-- Contact staff writer Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.