It’s been 28 days since IU men’s basketball lost to then-No. 17 Maryland and began a four-game losing streak. The Hoosiers were booed off their homecourt once they gave up a 7-0 run to end the game.
Shades of that game appeared late in the second half Sunday afternoon when IU took on No. 9 Penn State. But this time, the Hoosiers defeated the Nittany Lions 68-60.
“To come out in the second half, we took a huge punch,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “There was at times this season, that punch has hurt us a lot more. We weren't shook.”
IU led by as much as 19 points, but Penn State used a 30-5 run spanning over the first half into the second to take the lead with 14:09 remaining. The Hoosiers dominated roughly the first 18 minutes of the game, but couldn’t maintain that performance.
There wasn’t much IU could do offensively while its defense continued to give up made baskets. Penn State came back and got out to a six-point lead while IU struggled to maintain in the game.
That was until IU went on a 13-0 run capped off by a dunk from freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. He picked up his ninth double-double of the season. IU is undefeated when he scores double-digit points and grabs double-digit rebounds.
“We knew they were going to go on a run,” junior forward Justin Smith said. “They're the number ninth ranked team in the country. We didn't expect to blow them out. It's always how you respond and how you kind of stay with it, stay with the course and not really worry about any run that's going on in the game.”
With 1:50 remaining in the game, IU held a seven-point lead. Like the Maryland game, IU had a six-point lead with 1:25 left. IU gave Penn State a chance to cut the deficit late in the game.
The Nittany Lions made it a five point game, but that was the closest they’d get. Their offense revolved around senior forward Lamar Stevens. He scored 29 points but made half of the Nittany Lion’s field goals.
Sophomore forward Race Thompson missed a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left and Miller responded by punching a clipboard to the ground. His team showed mistakes in the final moments once again.
Stevens missed a dunk 10 seconds later , but junior guard Al Durham and sophomore guard Rob Phinisee hit their free throws.
IU didn't allow Penn State to make a run like Maryland did. The Hoosiers put the game away.
Smith credited Phinisee after the game for his ability to keep the team calm and steady with the ball in his hands.
IU now has five wins against top-25 opponents. Only Iowa, Baylor University and University of Oregon have more. The regular season ends in two weeks, and the Hoosiers are inching closer to an NCAA Tournament bid.
“I think our team in general hasn't worried,” Miller said, “definitely has had a blind eye to, hey, we played good, then we played bad. It hasn't been, oh, we played bad, let's worry about that. It's been let's move on to the next one, let's see if we can't play better, which is why I think we've won three out of our last four.”
