Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Defeats Indiana State, 56-52
11/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 23, 2004
Hoosiers Win Seventh Straight Season Opener
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Marshall Strickland scored the final five Indiana points, as the IU men's basketball team knocked off Indiana State, 56-52, in its season opener on Tuesday evening. The Hoosiers have now won seven straight season openers and are 18-2 all-time in season openers at Assembly Hall.
Strickland finished the game with 13 points, but none were bigger than the five he netted in the final 1:30. A lay-up by ISU's Tyson Schnitker evened the contest at 50-50 with 3:31 remaining. Pat Ewing Jr. gave IU the lead back, hitting one of two free throws at the 3:08 mark, setting up Strickland's heroics.
The junior from Winfield, Md., converted a lay-up to put the Hoosiers up 53-50 with 1:30 left. David Moss responded for the Sycamores, nailing a runner with 23 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 53-52.
Indiana State (1-1) then put Strickland on the line with 12 seconds left, where he calmly drained both free throws for a three-point cushion. Strickland then hustled back on defense and stole Moss' pass, denying a game-tying three-point attempt. ISU fouled Strickland once again, and he sealed the game with one of two free throws, and the Hoosiers hung on for the four-point victory.
"We knew that it was going to be a close game tonight," said Indiana head coach Mike Davis. "Indiana State had beaten us the last two times we have played them. I thought that they were a well-prepared team. It was a very physical game. I thought that we did a good job in transition. Indiana State did a great job of defending the passing lanes against us. I am happy with the win. We knew it was going to be close."
In addition to his 13 points, Strickland added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Leading the way on the scoreboard for the Hoosiers was Bracey Wright. The junior from The Colony, Texas, finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Freshman Robert Vaden added 10 points and five rebounds in his Indiana debut.
"We always need them (Strickland and Wright). They are our leaders," said Vaden. "Since I have been here, they have both helped me learn how to play the game of basketball. They've definitely improved my defense, boxing out and talking on the floor."
Entering the second half deadlocked at 26-26, IU used tenacious defense out of the gates, holding the Sycamores scoreless the first 3:20 of the second half en route to taking a 31-26 advantage.
Indiana grabbed its first lead of the game at 27-26 on a Wright free throw and kept the pressure on after that. Sophomore Errek Suhr saved a loose ball to freshman D.J. White, who threw down a thunderous dunk, helping move the Hoosiers margin to five. Suhr finished the night distributing a game-high five assists in 26 minutes of action.
"I played some during the exhibitions and have been playing with the first team at times during practice," said Suhr. "I was prepared to play, whether I did not play at all or played as much as I did. I just wanted to help my team win."
With Indiana holding a 43-39 lead, Roderick Wilmont netted his first points of the season with a trey from the right corner. Strickland followed by slashing through the lane for a lay-in, giving the Hoosiers their largest advantage of the evening at 48-39, but that is when the Sycamores countered with an 11-2 rally to even the contest at 50-50 before coming up short.
Moss led Indiana State with 15 points, while Amani Daanish narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
In the opening half, the Hoosiers found themselves in a 17-9 hole after a sluggish start. Following a Wright jumper, Vaden connected on a three-pointer to cut the Sycamore lead to 17-14.
ISU halted the IU run with a trey by Eric Gray, but Vaden and Ewing Jr. answered with back-to-back threes to tie the game at 20-20. The teams traded the final 12 points of the half and headed into the locker room all squared at 26 apiece.
Up next, the Hoosiers will host Western Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 7:10 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN Plus Local and can be heard live on the statewide IU Radio Network with Don Fischer (play-by-play), Todd Leary (color commentary) and Joe Smith (pregame, halftime and postgame) calling the action.
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