A tale of TWO Halves

In the first half, IU relied on freshman D.J. White for its offensive production.\nIn the second half, the Hoosiers had to look elsewhere with White sitting out more than 11 minutes with cramps. But IU found another way to win in gutting out a 67-60 victory against Ohio State.\nThat other way was junior guard Bracey Wright, who after scoring only five first-half points exploded in the second for 18 points and two crucial assists resulting in dunks by Pat Ewing Jr. and White, who reentered the game with 2:12 to go after sitting for several minutes.\n"It was two halves of D.J. in the first half scoring and Bracey in the second half," coach Mike Davis said. \nWhite got the Hoosiers started with 11 first half points. It looked as if the freshman would continue his hot shooting into the second half when he hit a baseline jump shot on IU's first possession.\nThen, the cramps bothered White, who said he was sick prior to the game and had lost a lot of fluids. \nWhile White was hobbled in the second half, Wright said he was hurting in the first.\n"Early on my legs were sore a little bit. I was trying to loosen up before the game by sitting in a whirlpool," Wright said. "I think I got warm after halftime and my legs felt better. After I knocked down my first three, I got going."\nThe inside-outside duo traded halves. While Wright was tight, White was hot. And while White cramped, Wright cut loose.\nWright's second half run was highlighted by 12 straight points, which included four three-point plays. Wright hit a three, completed a conventional three-point play, another three followed by another three-point play after Je'Kel Foster fouled Wright on a jumper.\nDavis said Wright's 12-point stretch are plays he has to make.\n"Your best player has to make plays like that," Davis said. "There were eight games (that IU lost by three points or less) last year that we needed him to play this way -- make plays for us like he's made the past couple of games. I think he learned a lot from last year, a whole lot."\nDespite Wright's three-point play barrage, OSU only trailed by three. The Buckeyes finally cut the deficit to one, 55-54, and the pressure mounted before Wright found a way to come through when he earned his only two assists of the second half when the resourceful Wright found Ewing and White on a pair of bounce passes for dunks.\nWright wouldn't have found White for the dunk though if the freshman hadn't asked to go back into the game when he told Davis he was ready.\n"The thing I love about (D.J.) is that he said he was ready to play, he wanted to go back in the game," Davis said. "For a freshman to tell you that at a crunch time, to say 'I want to go back in the game.' That meant a lot to me so I put him back in and he got a dunk."\nWhite said it was very tough for him to sit for the 11-minute second half stretch.\n"I was kind of mad at myself for not being in there," White said, who finished with 15 points but only four in the second 20 minutes. \nWright has said all year long that he considers this is his team to lead. In acknowledging that role, Davis said Wright is finding other ways to help the Hoosiers when he's having an off-shooting night. Wednesday against Michigan he chipped in with nine rebounds.\nAgainst Ohio State, the two assists to Ewing and White kept IU ahead and helped extend the lead from close to comfortable after IU hit eight of eight free throws following White's dunks.\n"That's back to back games where (Bracey) hasn't shot the basketball well at the beginning but he's really come through for us," Davis said.\nWright said his assists are a direct result of having players who can finish. But the junior is still focused on his No. 1 offensive priority -- scoring.\nAnd against Ohio State, scoring in bunches while your main inside threat is on the bench.\n"That's the first thing I look for anytime I touch it is to score," Wright said. "That's just my mentality. I look for myself. If I don't have anything, then I look for a teammate. That's just how I fit into this offense."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.