Indiana University Athletics
IU Slips Past SIUE, 57-47
11/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 12, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana men's basketball team overcame a slow first-half scoring effort to overcome Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), 57-47, to close out the exhibition portion of its schedule on Friday night at the Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall.
Indiana got off to a rather sluggish start, going one-for-nine in the first seven minutes of play. The Hoosiers did not take hold of the lead until the 8:49 mark when freshman Robert Vaden connected on a baseline jumper, to put IU up, 8-7.
From the beginning, the Hoosiers created several scoring opportunities but could not seem to capitalize on any of them in the opening minutes of the first half. The game continued to move a slow pace as neither IU nor SIUE broke double-digit scoring until about seven minutes remaining in the first half, when IU went up 10-7.
Freshman D.J. White began to get things started for Indiana when he connected on a conventional three-point play only to follow up minutes later with dunk to give the Hoosiers a 15-9 advantage over the Cougars with less than four minutes in the first half of action.
The Cream and Crimson then sparked a 16-7 run to close out the half, which allowed them to take a 22-13 lead heading into the locker room. Sophomore Pat Ewing, Jr. came off the bench to lead the Hoosiers with six rebounds and three assists in the opening 20 minutes, while White contributed seven points before the break. The Cougars and Hoosiers were a combined 14-for-45 (.310) from the field.
It did not take long for the Hoosiers to get their act together as they stormed out of the gates and immediately began to take control early on in the second stanza, going on a 10-2 run to gain some momentum heading into the stretch. Junior Marshall Strickland was key during the run as he supplied five points, a steal and an assist. The Hoosiers and Cougars traded baskets for the next few possessions, but both teams drastically changed their shooting ways, as the Hoosiers opened the half 8-for-9, while the Cougars were able to keep it close as well.
With 8:00 minutes showing on the clock, Ewing not only got the crowd on their feet with a powerful two-handed windmill dunk, but he also gave the Hoosiers their largest lead of the night with an 18-point advantage, 46-28. While the Hoosiers did let up on defense a little by allowing SIUE to get within seven points in the closing minutes, 52-45, they were still able to maintain control of the game and finish off the victory.
White was the high-scorer for the Hoosiers, notching 12 points, with four rebounds and three blocks. Strickland and Roderick Wilmont also finished in double-digit scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Ewing completed the night with a game-high nine rebounds, while adding eight points.
The Cougars were led by Dan Heimos and Tim Bauersachs who each contributed 12 points.
The Hoosiers outrebounded the Cougars, 31-25, and managed to overcome their sluggish first-half shooting performance, draining 60 percent of their shots from the floor in the second half, going 12-for-20.
The Cream and Crimson open its regular season with a home game against the Indiana State Sycamores on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at the Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall. Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m. (EST) and will be televised by ESPN Plus Local. The game can also be heard on the IU Radio Network (WHCC 105.1) with Don Fischer (play-by-play), Todd Leary (color commentary) and Joe Smith (pregame, halftime and postgame host) calling all of the action.
Game Notes
• Junior Sean Kline returned to the Hoosier lineup for the first time since suffering a knee injury on Feb. 14 2004 that forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Kline grabbed two rebounds in 9 minutes of play tonight.
