Creek's hot streak propels IU past Evansville

Maurice Creek was the spark IU needed Sunday.

His team trailing by six after one half, the sophomore guard knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to jump-start a 22-0 run and lead the Hoosiers to a 67-54 victory against Evansville in Assembly Hall.

Creek's run pushed the IU lead to as large as 20 in the second half. When the Purple Aces trimmed the lead to 10 with less than three minutes remaining, Creek banged home a fourth 3-pointer for the dagger.

He finished with a game-high 19 points on 50 percent shooting, including a perfect effort from the free-throw line. The rest of the Hoosiers struggled from the charity stripe, finishing just 15-of-28.

Junior forward Tom Pritchard was the worst offender, going 0-of-3 from the line, but his defense was the apple of IU coach Tom Crean's eye.

Pritchard recorded five blocks, pulled down eight rebounds and added eight points.

His presence was needed more than any other time this season as sophomore forward Derek Elston dressed but did not play and sophomore forward Bobby Capobianco had four fouls in only 11 minutes.

-Ryan Winn