Hoosier hiatus ends with 61-56 victory

It has been since the Purdue game Jan. 27. \nOne month and five days is how long Hoosier fans had to wait for a win in Assembly Hall. Wednesday night they got it when IU (13-13, 7-8 Big Ten) beat Michigan (16-10, 7-8) 61-56. \n"We just wanted to get that winning feeling back," sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said. "After you lose a couple of games, everybody gets down. The mood kind of gets down. We just want to get the fans excited again, and get everybody excited about basketball, and we're not done yet."\nThe balcony was almost empty at the start of the game, and the student section barely full, but fans filling the seats in Assembly Hall wasn't the only thing missing at the beginning of the game. Official Ed Hightower was stuck in traffic and didn't come into the game until there were less than eight minutes left in the first half. \nAlthough Michigan was first to score, further into the game with the score in IU's favor, 19-17, Michigan forward Bernard Robinson Jr. fouled sophomore guard Bracey Wright on a three-point field goal attempt, sending Wright to the line for the Hoosiers. \n"My thing was just to back off of him and give him that cushion so he'd drive right into me and not pass me," Wright said. "I did a really good job on him I held him to two points tonight. So that's something that I'm proud of."\nWright hit the first two free throws, but missed the third. Senior forward A.J. Moye grabbed the rebound and put it in, giving the Hoosiers their greatest lead of the first half, 23-17. Later in the first half, Moye made a fast break to the basket giving the Hoosiers a field goal with just over five minutes left before halftime.\nIt was the type of basketball IU fans had been waiting for, and it brought the crowd to its feet. \nAt halftime, the Hoosiers and Wolverines were tied 31-31. Strickland was the top scorer for the first half with seven points and for the game with a career high 21 points. \nLike IU's last four home losses in Assembly Hall, the game came down to critical play in the final moments of the game. And after Leach turned the ball over with just 1:58 left, giving Robinson, Jr. a jumper tying the game 56-56 -- it appeared the Hoosiers just might lose another close one at home.\nBut after a foul from Michigan guard Lester Abram, Strickland hit both free-throw shots giving IU the lead by two, 58-56.\nWith 29 seconds left in the game, Abram fouled an IU player, once again. Sophomore guard Donald Perry had the chance to secure the Hoosier win.\nHowever, his first free-throw shot didn't go in. \nAfter the second shot went in for Perry, Michigan guard Daniel Horton missed a three-point basket in a desperate attempt to tie the game with 16 seconds left.\nThe free-throw shooting wasn't over.\nMichigan forward Courtney Sims then fouled Wright. He missed both shots.\nThe Wolverines had two chances to score a basket and missed them both -- one when Leach blocked Sims' shot with one second left on the clock. \n"I was just thinking rebound," Leach said. "Fortunately, I was able to be there in time to block Sims' shot. I gave up an offensive rebound -- I'm not happy about that, but I got the block."\nSims then fouled Leach, who made the last two points of the ball game with two successful free throws. \nSims and Abram were Michigan's top scorers with 13 points apiece. \nWright said it is always good to get a win when the team is on a losing streak and that it was obvious how the team felt after the win.\n"You can see it on everybody's faces and the way everybody is acting," Wright said. "It's a big relief to get a win at home and kind of just get this thing slowly going back in the right direction"