ALMOST

DURHAM, N.C. -- If anything, the IU men's basketball team can be classified as pesky.\nDown 33-21 at halftime of Tuesday's 54-51 loss to Duke University at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Hoosiers struck back with a lightning-quick 12-2 run to put them back into contention. And they refused to go away.\nWeathering missed shots, turnovers, a deafening atmosphere, Duke's resurgent defense -- and even a rare 10-second call -- IU had a game-tying opportunity with 30 seconds left in the game.\nDown 54-51, freshman Armon Bassett launched an off-balance three-point shot. With nine seconds remaining, senior guard Errek Suhr fought for a three, or a foul call by leaning in to his defender. Like Bassett's shot before his, it missed everything, and the Hoosiers left Cameron Indoor Stadium with peskiness to their name and another loss on their now 3-2 (0-0) record. \n"I'm proud of our effort tonight," IU coach Kelvin Sampson said. "When you go on the road, hold a team to 31 percent (shooting) and put yourself in a position to win -- from there, though, you've got to make plays."\nThe IU loss came despite the attempts from Bassett and Suhr, two unlikely performances that kept the Hoosiers in the game in the closing minutes. Bassett led the Hoosiers with 16 points.\n"The guy hit huge shots," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He played some really, really good basketball."\nThe Hoosiers struggled offensively in the first half, mustering only 21 points on 9-for-28 shooting from the field. Duke's defensive pressure -- extended to half court on nearly every possession -- slowed down IU's penetration and prevented clean looks from the field.\nIU forward D.J. White struggled to find touches against frequent double-teams. When he did find the ball in his hands, Duke's big men -- Carmel, Ind., native Josh McRoberts especially -- were able to force White into 2-for-6 from the field in the first half.\nBut White exploded after halftime with a lob-pass dunk, and IU exploded with a quick 12-2 run, cutting the lead to just two with 15:10 left in the half. Duke went on a cold spell as IU's defense stepped up the interior pressure and rebounded more efficiently.\nWith 13 minutes left in the game, Duke guard Greg Paulus launched a three that extended Duke's lead to 40-35, but IU guard Errek Suhr answered with an aggressive three-point play to bring the lead back to two. IU point guard Earl Calloway, on an eight-foot floater, tied the game at 40-40 with 12 minutes remaining.\nEven after Duke guard DeMarcus Nelson hit two free throws and a three to extend the lead to 45-40, the Hoosiers again refused to go away. \nLater, Duke freshman Jon Scheyer extended the lead to 53-46. The Hoosiers moved the lead back to 53-51, but it was the closest they would get to the victory.\nBassett led IU in scoring with 16 points. White's second half-opening dunk was his last made field goal of the game, as the forward finished with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.\n"We can take a lot out of this game," White said. "We know we can go into hostile environments and play good. This was a good test for us. After taking eight days off and playing like we did -- that's a positive"