A whole new ball game

Saturday night ended with Bracey Wright as the hero.\nBut it didn't start like that. Fans were heckling the junior guard to stop shooting and pass the ball after he made one of six shots and ended the first 20 minutes with five points. \nBut as coaches say, the second half is a whole new ball game.\nScoring 18 points in the final 20 minutes, including a run of 12 consecutive on four three-point plays in a span of 2 minutes and 39 seconds, Wright led the Hoosiers to a 67-60 win against Ohio State in front of 17,437 Hoosier faithfuls.\nThe win moves IU into a three-way tie for second place at 4-1 in the Big Ten and 9-7 overall.\n"For us to go in the first half leading with Bracey struggling shooting the basketball, I thought was a good sign for us," said coach Mike Davis. "In the second half, D.J (White) struggled with cramps, and Bracey stepped up, played well with 18 points."\nWright's first half woes were countered by Wednesday night's star, freshman D.J. White, who had 11 points in the first half, and ended with 15 points and three blocks despite limited court time in the second half because of cramping in his right leg.\nWhite said he lost fluids before the game, and didn't replenish enough. \n"(D.J.) was really big for us in the first half," Wright said. "He was a big spark plug for us in the first 20 minutes."\nEven with Wright struggling, the Hoosiers shot 55.6 percent behind the arc in the first half, and ended Saturday shooting 46.7 percent. IU shot 45.7 percent from the field, and 75 percent from the free throw line. \nBut it wasn't White who got the Hoosiers off on the right foot.\nFreshman Robert Vaden started the game with two three-pointers in just over 4 minutes, and classmate A.J. Ratliff hit his own three to put IU ahead 14-9, 6:06 into the game.\nHaving other scorers beside Wright is refreshing for both Wright and Davis, who said that's one major difference between last year's Hoosiers and this year's team.\n"The funny part about it is that Vaden hasn't scored the way he can score. He got off to a good start tonight," Davis said. "What we have going, we are still young, but we have guys that can make plays -- that's the difference in this team and the team last year. We have guys who can make plays."\nOhio State big man Terence Dials led the Buckeyes (12-7, 1-4 Big Ten) with 18 points and 13 rebounds. \nLeading the Buckeyes by eight at halftime, 31-23, the Hoosiers looked to be cruising to their fourth consecutive win, but an 18-9 OSU run put them ahead 43-41 with just over 13:30 left in the game. \nFor the rest of the game, the Buckeyes did exactly what sophomore guard Rod Wilmont said they would -- pound the ball inside. Defended by a team of White and Pat Ewing Jr., the Buckeyes fed Dials in the post play after play. \nDials and the rest of the Buckeye's frontcourt outscored the Hoosiers 30 to 14 in points in the paint. \nCombined with OSU guard Tony Stockman, the pair scored 13 of the 18 points during the run.\n"I thought we did a great job of doubling the post when they did and fronting the post and really pressured the ball," Davis said. "Dials is a handful -- I've said it from day one. He's one of the best 'bigs' in our league, and for D.J. to play the way he played against Dials shows a lot of potential and upside for D.J."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.