Hoosiers Hold Off Gonzaga

Nov. 26, 2002

Lahaina, Hawaii - As the No. 21 Indiana Hoosiers faced No. 20 Gonzaga in the EA Sports Maui Invitational, IU got off to a slow start. Down by one heading into halftime, the Hoosiers stretched their lead through the second half, holding on for the 76-75 win. Gonzaga would not go quietly into the Hawaiian night, however, as they came back in the final minutes of the game. At one point the Hoosiers enjoyed a 13-point lead, but Gonzaga's offense pulled within though it was not enough for the win.

IU is now 11-4 in its last 15 games against ranked opponents after the win over No. 20 Gonazaga. The Hoosiers improve their record to 2-0 on the season while Gonzaga falls to 2-1.

Four of Indiana's starters ended in double-digits in the win. Seniors Jeff Newton and Tom Coverdale led all Hoosiers with 16 points each. Coverdale, along with four other Indiana players, had six rebounds including George Leach, Bracey Wright and Kyle Hornsby.

Coverdale came through with seven assists while Newton made a clutch field goal from beyond the arc while IU stretched its lead to 13 points.

Always dangerous from three-point range, Hornsby drained four three-pointers en route to his 14-point effort. Freshman Wright added 15 points and four assists of his own as he was perfect from the free throw line in just his second regular season game.

For Gonzaga, Blake Stepp had 20 points and eight rebounds while Cory Violette led the defense with nine boards. Gonzaga was able to make just 36.8 percent of its three pointers while the Hoosiers drained 44.4 percent.

With the second victory of the season, the Hoosiers advance to the championship of the EA Sports Maui Invitational to be held tomorrow, Nov. 27 at 9:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Indiana University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Kyle Hornsby

Kyle Hornsby

Kyle Hornsby

Kyle Hornsby

George Leach

George Leach

George Leach

George Leach

George Leach

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

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