Hoosiers Win Over Michigan

March 14, 2003

Chicago, Ill. - IU's Hoosiers have a way of creating excitement in the post-season. In the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. on Friday night, the Hoosiers upended No. 3 seeded Michigan, 63-56. The win improves Indiana's overall season record to 20-11 and improves the Hoosiers chances of advancing into the NCAA Tournament.

In front of 18,895 fans, the Hoosiers came from a 25-30 halftime deficit to take the seven-point victory over the Wolverines.

Michigan jumped out to an early 7-0 lead two minutes into the game. The Hoosiers battled back to within two points. Michigan's LaVell Blanchard hit a three-pointer with 12 minutes remaining in the first half to give UofM the 20-13 advantage. IU then looked to pull closer before heading to the locker room and with nearly four minutes left in the half, freshman Bracey Wright hit a jump shot on the dish from senior Tom Coverdale to pull within two. Michigan's Bernard Robinson Jr. turned the ball over and Coverdale capitalized to bring the contest to a 24-24 tie. Michigan hit two consecutive field goals with two minutes remaining to take a five-point advantage into halftime.

Indiana had just two turnovers in the first stanza to Michigan's six and ended the game with just four turnovers, tying a school record-low. The Hoosiers capitalized on those scoring chances, gaining seven points off Wolverine turnovers.

IU got off to a slow start out of the locker room as Michigan extended its lead to eight points. A.J. Moye came in at the 19:23 mark in the half and never looked back, providing a spark for Indiana off the bench. He scored 16 of his final 18 points in the second half as his point total is a season-high and two off his career-high mark.

After hitting the shots that the Hoosiers needed to stay in the game and pull to within three off the Wolverines, Indiana again found itself facing an eight-point deficit. After a timeout at the 11:37 mark, IU went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 44-44. The Hoosiers took control of the lead with 5:10 remaining and never let go.

Moye scored 15 of 19 points from 15:00 to 6:03 in the second half to give the Hoosiers the push into the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals.

Both Coverdale and senior forward Jeff Newton added 15 points in the victory while Kyle Hornsby and Coverdale dished out a team-high four assists.

IU will face No. 2 seed Illinois at the United Center in Chicago at 3:05 p.m. CST and will be aired on CBS.

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

A.J. Moye

A.J. Moye

A.J. Moye

A.J. Moye

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Jeff Newton

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

Bracey Wright

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