EVANSTON, Ill. — Trailing 23-13 with more than nine minutes to play in the first half, Indiana men’s basketball senior forward Luke Goode briefly took command of his team’s huddle. The Hoosiers responded with an 8-0 run to trim their deficit and took the lead with a minute and half left before the break.
After Northwestern called timeout with less than one second remaining, Goode high-fived his teammates near midcourt. Indiana finished the half on an 18-2 surge, taking a 31-25 lead into the locker room.
But in a second half full of runs, Indiana (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) saw its once-promising Wednesday night end in defeat, falling 79-70 to Northwestern (12-7, 3-5 Big Ten) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako led the Hoosiers with 20 points, while sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo added 17 points and seven rebounds. Goode scored 14 points and made 4 of his 5 attempts from distance.
Indiana won the rebounding battle 34-31, but the Hoosiers shot only 42.1% to Northwestern’s 48.3%. The Wildcats outscored Indiana 54-39 in the second half.
Northwestern missed its final 12 shots to end the first half, but the Wildcats outscored the Hoosiers 24-11 in the first eight and a half minutes of the second half. Fifth-year senior guard Ty Berry hit three triples, spearheading Northwestern’s run.
But Indiana, as it did in the first half, punched back. Goode nailed two 3-pointers, helping the Hoosiers score 10 consecutive points and regaining the lead at 52-49.
The Wildcats threw another punch. Indiana took too long to respond.
Northwestern scored 13 unanswered points to start a 21-4 run. Fifth-year senior guard Jalen Leach, who started 0 of 4 from distance, hit three straight 3-pointers, and the Wildcats took a commanding 70-56 advantage.
Indiana fought back, trimming its deficit 72-68 with 44 seconds remaining, but Northwestern hit its free throws — and ultimately survived the Hoosiers’ final push.
The Hoosiers return to action at noon Sunday against Maryland inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
