Hoosiers Fall to Ohio State

Jan. 11, 2003

Columbus, Ohio - For the first time in 2003, the Hoosiers suffered a setback, falling to 11-3 on the season. The loss came at the hands of Big Ten rival Ohio State, 81-69 in Columbus, Saturday night. Freshman Bracey Wright led all IU scorers with 20 points. With his 14th-straight double-digit effort, Wright breaks Calbert Cheaney's freshman debut record. Cheaney began his Hoosier tenure with 13-straight double-digit performances in 1989-90, a streak he would repeat again that same season. Wright's 14-game streak ties him with Jay Edwards' 1987-88 freshman double-digit streak.

IU got off to an early lead and two minutes into the game the Hoosiers appeared to be in winning form with a five-point lead. By halftime, the Buckeyes had taken a 10-point, 35-25 advantage and had led by as many as 12 points in the first stanza.

Ohio State extended its lead to 18 points early in the second half. The Hoosiers narrowed the gap to eight with just under three minutes remaining, but it was not enough as the Buckeyes went on to win by 12, 81-69.

The Hoosiers were down by a previous season-high 14 points twice against Maryland in the national championship rematch and ACC/Big Ten Challenge held on Dec. 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., and IU had not seen a double-digit deficit since then.

Ohio State's Brent Darby led all shooters with 28 points while Buckeye Shun Jenkins added 22 points, his career high.

Indiana falls to 11-3 on the season, 1-1 in Big Ten play while the Buckeyes improve to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in league contests.

Tom Coverdale added 18 points for the Hoosiers and is now just four points shy of hitting the 1,000 career points plateau and becoming the 37th member of the prestigious IU club. Coverdale also dished out six assists and now needs three more to share the sixth place spot in IU's all-time assists chart with Butch Carter.

Despite boasting the Big Ten's leading shot-blocker, Indiana came away from the OSU game with no rejections. This marks the first time this season that IU has not had a block in a game.

The loss also marks the first time this season an Indiana opponent has scored more than 75 points, either in wins or losses.

The Big Ten's leading rebounder, Jeff Newton, was held to just five boards but added 16 points for the Hoosiers.

Indiana returns home for a league matchup with Northwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall and will be televised on ESPN Plus Local.

Indiana University Athletics

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Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Tom Coverdale

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

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