Hoosiers rally late to beat Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – In just two years at IU, Lance Stemler has played several roles. Last year he played the victim, sustaining a concussion after he was accidentally kicked in the head by former teammate Xavier Keeling during practice. He needed surgery after last season when he injured his ankle. He was booed by IU fans earlier this season for a slow start. \nOn Thursday, Stemler played the hero.\nHis team down two with less than two minutes remaining in the game, the senior forward and co-captain drained a crucial, uncontested 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers a lead they never relinquished.\nStemler’s three proved to be the dagger that finished a persistent Minnesota team en route to the No. 9 IU men’s basketball team’s 65-60 win – its third consecutive Big Ten road victory.\n“(Assistant) coach (Dan) Dakich said just keep with it and big shots are going to come,” Stemler said after the game. “I got open.”\nStemler’s late-game heroics saved an IU team that struggled, as its leading scorer, freshman guard Eric Gordon, was icy from the field. Gordon, who averages 23 points per game, scored just 12 in the contest, shooting 3-of-8 from the field. The win was IU’s third in the past 11 tries at Minnesota’s famed Williams Arena, also known as “The Barn.” \nAfter the game, IU coach Kelvin Sampson praised Stemler. \n“He doesn’t measure up real high on the athleticism scale, but he has a big heart,” Sampson said. \nIU was led in scoring by senior forward D.J. White, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. It was White’s fifth consecutive double-double and his 11th in 12 games.\n“We found a way, that’s the main thing at the end of the day,” White said. \nThe Hoosier committed 26 turnovers in the contest, though they averaged just 14.5 coming into the game. The Hoosiers’ countered their sloppy ball handling by posting a 42-26 rebounding advantage against the Golden Gophers. \n“Weird game,” Sampson said. “Twenty-six turnovers. Found a way to win on the road – I don’t know that I’ve ever been around anything quite like that.” \nThe lone bright spot from the turnover debacle, Sampson said, was that most of the errant passes landed out of bounds and not in the hands of Minnesota players.\nRegardless, Stemler said it was tough to watch the turnovers.\n“It’s frustrating, but it’s a learning process,” Stemler said. “We all know that.”\nThe Hoosiers survived first half foul trouble to lead the Gophers 40-32 at halftime. \nGordon picked up his second foul of the night at the 17:32 mark and sat on the bench until after the second TV timeout at the 12-minute mark. He tallied two assists quickly after his return, but didn’t score his first bucket until the 6:58 mark. \nA little more than a minute later, he committed his third foul of the game and was banished to the bench for the rest of the half. Even with Gordon sitting, the Gophers could not put IU away. Every time Minnesota climbed out to a lead, the Hoosiers countered and closed the deficit. \nLuckily for the Hoosiers, fellow freshman Jordan Crawford stepped up for the inconsistent Hoosiers. After a rough start, Crawford drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer to lead the Hoosiers with 14 first-half points. \n“EJ (Gordon) was in foul trouble, so I just tried step up” Crawford said. “Of course, scoring is what he does best. So I just tried to help the team.” \nIU managed to keep Minnesota at bay to start the second half. Whenever the Gophers made a big play, the Hoosiers countered to quell Minnesota’s growing momentum. But the Hoosiers never managed to push their lead any larger than five points. \nThat allowed the Golden Gophers to stay in the game long enough to scare the Hoosiers. Minnesota took their first lead of the second half at the 7:35 mark and increased their lead to four after forward Dan Coleman converted an old-fashioned 3-point play less than a minute later. That energized the sell-out crowd at “The Barn.” \nBut a stingy IU defense didn’t allow the lead to grow any larger than four, which allowed IU to eventually take the lead, and the game, from Minnesota.