IU falls to Penn State in Big Ten Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS — As time expired in the first half of IU’s Big Ten Tournament matchup with Penn State, Nittany Lions forward Jeff Brooks symbolized how the rest of the game would go.

The game’s leading scorer followed a miss with a tip-in, counting for two points, an offensive rebound and the halftime lead.

It was a lead Penn State wouldn’t let go the rest of the way, as the Nittany Lions dominated the offensive glass during a 61-55 victory Thursday in Conseco Fieldhouse.

“We didn’t rebound the ball nearly as well in the second half. But we still played at a very high level of competitiveness,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “When we play that way, we have capabilities. We’ve done that certainly at times this year, and when we have, we’ve been successful. Tonight we weren’t successful obviously with the win, but our guys have a mind-set that’s growing, and I’m proud of what they did.”

Limiting Penn State to one opportunity was at a premium for the Hoosiers, who shot 49 percent from the field but struggled from the outside.

IU went 4-of-18 from the 3-point line, including four consecutive misses late in the second half as the Hoosiers tried to close four- and six-point gaps.

“That’s what was open,” said Watford, who was 1-of-4 from deep and had one of the misses in that span. “We take them with no hesitation at all.”

IU all but neutralized PSU’s leading scorer Talor Battle, holding the senior guard to 3-of-12 shooting with four turnovers. Penn State shot worse as a team from the field than IU, but the Nittany Lions tallied 11 offensive rebounds to IU’s four, capitalizing with 17 second-chance points.

“I think we had a lot of mental lapses on the rebounding end,” Watford said. “A couple times we didn’t hit guys and a couple times tipped a couple balls out and got long rebounds. It was a battle all game, and they unfortunately won the rebounds.”

Watford matched Brooks with 15 points to lead the team, but he was only able to grab four rebounds. Freshman guard Victor Oladipo, who gave the team an early spark off the bench, led the team with six boards.

For IU, the season ends on yet another bitter note. The Hoosiers lost their last nine games to close this year, and they lost 12 of their last 13 games last season and their last 10 games two years ago.

IU finished with just two more victories than last season and one less win in the Big Ten. One area of improvement Crean said was emphasized in offseason — rebounding — bit the team Thursday as it had all season. IU won just two games when it lost the rebounding battle this year.

But Crean said some of the improvements the team made from year-to-year aren’t as easily seen on the court, but he’s seen them in his time around the team.

“I’m not sure a year ago guys would have understood playing through some of the pain that they played through this year,” he said. “And I’m proud that they’ve learned how to do that, and hopefully that’s going to help them down the road.”