Shooting struggles, rowdy atmosphere lead to IU road loss

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Assembly Hall got the best of the IU men's basketball team yet again. \nFor the sixth straight time, the No. 23 Hoosiers lost on the Illinois Fighting Illini's home court, suffering a 51-43 defeat Tuesday night that snapped IU's five-game win streak.\nThe loss dropped the Hoosiers to 14-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten.\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said after the game that the Hoosiers' problem Tuesday night was nothing that could be found on a stat sheet.\n"I didn't see us playing with an edge tonight," Sampson said. "I didn't think we played with the right kind of attitude. We're the kind of team that we have to play with an edge if we want to win."\nIU came out firing to start the contest, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game. But IU's missed 3-pointers, and points in the paint by Illinois, quickly turned things around.\nThen, with two minutes remaining in the half, Illini guard Chester Frazier stole the ball and made a layup, cutting the IU lead to one. The two teams were knotted up at 23 at halftime. From then on, IU did not lead again.\nThe Hoosiers also shot just 29.4 percent from the 3-point line in the contest and were outscored 20-10 in the paint.\n"I was impressed with (Shaun) Pruitt, and Frazier's a tough kid," Sampson said. "(The Illini) probably get their identity from Frazier."\nIllinois guard Rich McBride led all scorers with 15 points, while Pruitt notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.\nJunior forward D.J. White led the Hoosiers with 12 points and eight rebounds, but just four came in the second half. Senior guard Rod Wilmont, who scored a combined 63 points in IU's previous three games, managed just five in the loss.\nThe Hoosiers struggled shooting the ball throughout the game with a 38.6 percent tab from the field and mustered just six free throws.\nComing into the game, much of the focus was set on Sampson's recruitment of top high-school senior Eric Gordon. The Illini crowd booed the first-year IU coach at any point they could, directing their chants toward him and holding up their cell phones during timeouts.\nAfter the game, both teams' coaches downplayed the situation.\n"I don't think the players, they knew some of the emotional things, but I didn't bring it up one time," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.\nSampson also deflected any questions regarding the crowd's treatment of him.\n"I don't care about that," Sampson said during the post-game news conference. "I just wanna get home and make my team better."\nThe Hoosiers will return to Big Ten action Saturday when they host the Michigan Wolverines at Assembly Hall.