IU defeats Northwestern, wins 20th game of season

As the second half reached its midpoint, Northwestern forward John Shurna was showing the 17,246 at Assembly Hall why he was the Big Ten’s leading scorer.

The 6-foot-9-inch Shurna had 26 points with 11:59 remaining and had his Wildcats in position to notch a resume-building road victory.

Determined to make the stops needed down the stretch, the Hoosiers kept the Northwestern Wildcats senior to one made field goal the rest of the way in earning a 71-66 victory.

Senior guard Verdell Jones III returned to the floor after missing the past two games and sparked a late 8-2 run for the Hoosiers to give IU a three-game winning streak.

During Wednesday’s game against Northwestern (15-10, 5-8), the No. 18/20 Hoosiers’ (20-6, 8-6) defense was put to the test with the conference leader in 3-point field goals as the opposition.

The Wildcats use constant backdoor cuts and numerous perimeter shooters on the floor in their offensive attack.

“It’s constant movement, and it’s like they use every second of the shot clock,” sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “We had to be alert and aware today, and we had to play through the shot clock and get big stops near the end of the game.”

Northwestern led by as many as five points in the second half and tied the score at 63 with 4:19 remaining.

From there, the Hoosiers kept the Wildcats to just three points the rest of the way, making the necessary stops needed down the stretch.

“They were playing desperate,” freshman forward Cody Zeller said. “They needed a win. We had a dry stretch there in the second half where we weren’t playing too well, but it was a gritty win for us.”

IU threw a variety of defenders at Shurna, and his 3-point play against Zeller with 4:19 to go was his lone field goal in the game’s final 11:57.

On the other end of the floor, Zeller took advantage of a smaller Northwestern frontline to lead IU with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

“We were bound and determined to get the ball inside, whether it was in the post or in the short corner against the zone,” IU Coach Tom Crean said.

The win gives IU its eighth conference victory of the season, with four more Big Ten games remaining on the schedule.

The eight conference wins in the 2011-2012 season equals the three previous seasons combined.

IU has had its share of accomplishments this season, but even the Hoosiers’ senior captain took time to reflect on the season to date.

“Beating Kentucky was good, and beating Ohio State was good, but finally getting to the 20 (win) mark and knowing that we are that much closer to reaching our ultimate goals is a great relief,” Jones said.