The Tipton Tornado

Coming into Sunday night’s game, junior forward Derek Elston had yet to be a part of IU’s offensive equation in conference play.

In just 68 seconds, that changed.

The junior forward’s eight points in 68 seconds fueled an 11-point output to help lead the Hoosiers to a 103-89 victory against Iowa on Sunday at Assembly Hall.

“Coach (Tom) Crean called me last night and told me to play with confidence,” Elston said. “Once I saw that first one go down, that’s how it goes for me shooting-wise. If I make my first couple shots, I have potential to have a good game.”

Crean said a clear mind is what sparked Elston’s performance.

“He’s absolutely one of our best shooters, and sometimes he gets away from that, and he needs a reminder that he’s that good,” Crean said. “The last thing we want Derek to do is play where he’s got to be thinking too much. I don’t mean that negatively. He just needs to play.”

That’s exactly what Elston did from the moment he came into the game at the 15:23 mark in the first half.

With IU deadlocked at an 18-18 tie, Elston knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers the lead. The next time down the floor, Elston hit a baseline jumper.

On Iowa’s next possession, Elston swatted Iowa sophomore guard Roy Devyn Marble on a layup. Elston said his recovery made the block even more rewarding.

“The block was nice because I’ve been worried about my defense a lot this year,” Elston said. “To know that he crossed me over a little bit, and to jump back, keep my feet and get that block, I would pat my shoulder on that.”

IU senior forward Tom Pritchard said it was a milestone accomplishment for Elston.

“Is that your first career block?” Pritchard jokingly asked Elston.

Another 3-pointer from Elston capped off the eight-point stretch on three straight IU possessions.

Elston finished with his best offensive performance in Big Ten play since March 6, 2010, when he scored 17 against Northwestern. For a player who has spent parts of this season battling injury, Sunday night was a product of what Elston chocked up to hours in the gym.

“I’ve been coming late at night and shooting, and to come in here and actually see the work pay off is a big relief,” Elston said. “My mom will probably tell me I played a good game, and then that’s about all I’ll think about that.”