In what was arguably one of the more improbable games of the season, Archie Miller and the Hoosiers took down Northwestern on the road after losing to the Wildcats earlier in the season in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have not performed after a big win, but they were able to turn the ship around in a game where they only led for 14 seconds until the final minutes of regulation. Miller saw the return of Jerome Hunter, who had been sitting out due to an undisclosed Coach’s Decision.
The stars of the show last night? Indiana’s backcourt combination of Armaan Franklin and Al Durham who scored a combined 47 points of Indiana’s 79 point total.
Notes
- If you ask Hoosier fans who the player of the game was on Wednesday, most would answer either Al Durham or Armaan Franklin. Franklin, in particular, played 44:22 and finished +9, both team-highs. IU enjoyed success especially when Franklin played PG with Phinisee and Lander on the sideline. During the 4:36 where Franklin was on, with Franklin and Lander off, IU went +10, outscoring Northwestern 10-0. This group was important in the first half, as they brought IU to within 21-18 after going down 21-10.
- Indiana’s starting lineup played a whopping 19:24 out of 50 minutes, They finished +2, and proved critical in the final 6:22 of regulation, when all five guys were on the court. IU outscored Northwestern 16-7 in that stretch run, going +9 and taking the game to overtime.
- Freshman Khristian Lander finished negative in the +/- (-7) for the first time since the Purdue game on Jan. 14. When Lander and Jackson-Davis were on the court together, IU went -10 in 10:57.
- Another freshman, Anthony Leal, went +8 in the game, second-highest on the team. IU’s defense was at its best with Leal on the court, holding Northwestern to 17 points in his 14:52, or 1.14 points per minute (PPM). In the other 35:08, IU gave up 59 points, or 1.68 PPM.
- IU’s offense found its groove with the reinstated Jerome Hunter on the court, scoring 29 points in his 16:28, or 1.76 PPM. In the 33:32 he was seated, IU scored 50 points, or 1.49 PPM.
Photo: Indiana University Athletics
