IU Uses Second-Half Surge To Beat Nebraska

Saturday, January 2

Lincoln, NE

4:00 PM

Indiana University

12-3, 2-0

Nebraska

8-7, 0-2

Indiana

Nebraska

1/2/2016 6:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com

LINCOLN, NEB. - Kevin Yogi Ferrell was feeling it.

He was feeling it when he jab-stepped into a step-back jumper with one second on the shot clock and 15 minutes remaining in the game for his first field goal of the second half to give Indiana a 1-point lead in its win over Nebraska.

He was feeling it when he pulled up for a trey well beyond the 3-point line with space off a screen from freshman center Thomas Bryant on Indiana's next possession to push IU's lead to four.

And he was feeling it when he nailed a step-back, fadeaway 3-pointer over Nebraska senior guard Benny Parker to give the Hoosiers a commanding 65-53 lead midway through the second half of Indiana's 79-69 win over the Cornhuskers Saturday afternoon.

As he ran back the other way, Ferrell pretended to wrap his left arm with a bandage in celebration. The senior guard was getting anything he wanted and taking advantage of it to the tune of 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including a 4-of-5 shooting night from beyond the arc.

"The play at the end was really, really a confidence-builder," head coach Tom Crean said. "It's like making that field goal. You didn't quite get your touchdown to get over the top, but you kicked that field goal and you went in with some points, and I thought Yogi's (game) was good."

Ferrell's second half outbreak overshadowed Bryant's bounce-back performance after struggling to stay on the floor in his Big Ten debut against Rutgers. Bryant made 8-of-10 field goal tries and finished second on the team with 19 points, 10 of which came in the first half.

Fellow freshman OG Anunoby stepped in off the bench to contribute an efficient 11 points, three rebounds and two steals in just 11 minutes. With sophomore guard James Blackmon Jr. still ailing with a knee injury, the freshman forward's output was a welcome addition to an Indiana team looking to replace Blackmon's scoring output.

"I'm really proud of the way they competed in the second half," Crean said, "especially with three freshmen playing the minutes they're playing. It's not easy playing without a guy like James because of the scoring, but like we said the other day, because you always have to account for where he's at because that frees it up for other people. We're feeling that a little bit."

Nebraska (8-7, 0-2) made a late run in the closing minutes but was unable to overcome the damage Ferrell already made. The Hoosiers (12-3, 2-0) were able to seal the game at the free-throw line for their seventh consecutive win and second consecutive Big Ten road win for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

"We feel pretty good," Ferrell told reporters postgame. "But anything can happen in the Big Ten. We've seen it from years past. We just have to make sure that we're on top of each game, prepare like we want to win."

Crean applauded his team's ability to keep focused even without Blackmon available. The Hoosiers slowed their tempo early on in the game and were content with feeding Bryant in the post in the first half before Ferrell took over in the second half as the score-first point guard he's become comfortable being over his four seasons in Bloomington.

Whether or not that continues when Indiana returns to Assembly Hall to play Wisconsin at 7 p.m. Tuesday remains to be seen. But the Hoosiers have responded twice now on the road with the toughness Crean has asked for, and a third chance in Bloomington is coming.

"We obviously still have things to work on in practice, but this is just another step in the direction that we need to take," Ferrell said. "Playing at Nebraska is tough. Nebraska is a great team, they've got great fans. For us to come in here and get a road win like this is big for us."