Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Notes - Indiana at Penn State
12/4/2018 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana at Penn State
Post Game Notes
• The Hoosiers earned their first road win of the season and improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten. IU is 2-0 in the league for the first time since the 2016 championship year and won its road league opener (at Rutgers) for the first time since that same season.
• IU improved to 39-11 in the series and beat the Nittany Lions for the 11th time in 13 games since 2012.
• This also was the eighth straight meeting that wasn't decided until the final minute. IU is 6-2 in those games, including 3-1 at Penn State.
• Penn State jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first 16:14 of the game, but rallied to take a 13-10 lead with 8:11 remaining in the half. IU took the lead for good on a three-pointer by freshman Romeo Langford with 6:31 left in the half at 21-19 and never trailed again.
• IU held its biggest lead at 46-32 with 14:47 to go. PSU cut it to 64-62 with 22 seconds left. After a missed Evan Fitzner free throw, PSU's Rasir Bolton missed a layup and the Nittany Lions gained possession. Rob Phinissee and Justin Smith forced a turnover by Lamar Stevens as time ran out.
• IU shot a season-best 78.6% from the line hitting 11 of 14 FT's. Conversely, Penn State made just 11 of their 26 free throws.
• In each of the last 3 wins IU has erased a deficit (UC Davis (14), Northwestern (5) and Penn State (9).
• This marked the first time since Feb 12 and Feb. 19, 1994, that IU has won back-to back 2 point decisions in league play. The Hoosiers beat Iowa, 93-91 and Purdue, 82-80 in those games.
• Langford led the Hoosiers with 17 points and added six rebounds in 34 minutes.
• Freshman Rob Phinisee had 12 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and just 1 turnover in 29 minutes. He also added a block and a steal. He scored 10 of his points in the second half, including 7 in a row to stretch a 4 point lead to 11 in the final 5 minutes.
• Sophomore Al Durham had 12 points and 2 assists. It was his highest Big Ten road output ever. He had 14 at home against Illinois and 10 vs. Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Senior Juwan Morgan had 10 points and 6 rebounds and now needs 30 points (970) to become the 52nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
• Sophomore Justin Smith did not score, but had 9 rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore Clifton Moore had his best Big Ten effort with a conventional 3-point play and 4 rebounds, a block and a steal in the final 7 minutes of the first half.
• Junior DeRon Davis had 2 points and a steal and grad transfer Evan Fitzner had a basket, 5 boards and a blocked shot. Senior Zach McRoberts had 2 points.
• Junior Devonte Green had 6 points and 3 assists. He hit back-to-back 3's early in the game to help IU erase the early 9-point deficit.
• The Hoosiers will host Louisville, Saturday, December 8 at 2:30 p.m. on Fox in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Post Game Notes
• The Hoosiers earned their first road win of the season and improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten. IU is 2-0 in the league for the first time since the 2016 championship year and won its road league opener (at Rutgers) for the first time since that same season.
• IU improved to 39-11 in the series and beat the Nittany Lions for the 11th time in 13 games since 2012.
• This also was the eighth straight meeting that wasn't decided until the final minute. IU is 6-2 in those games, including 3-1 at Penn State.
• Penn State jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first 16:14 of the game, but rallied to take a 13-10 lead with 8:11 remaining in the half. IU took the lead for good on a three-pointer by freshman Romeo Langford with 6:31 left in the half at 21-19 and never trailed again.
• IU held its biggest lead at 46-32 with 14:47 to go. PSU cut it to 64-62 with 22 seconds left. After a missed Evan Fitzner free throw, PSU's Rasir Bolton missed a layup and the Nittany Lions gained possession. Rob Phinissee and Justin Smith forced a turnover by Lamar Stevens as time ran out.
• IU shot a season-best 78.6% from the line hitting 11 of 14 FT's. Conversely, Penn State made just 11 of their 26 free throws.
• In each of the last 3 wins IU has erased a deficit (UC Davis (14), Northwestern (5) and Penn State (9).
• This marked the first time since Feb 12 and Feb. 19, 1994, that IU has won back-to back 2 point decisions in league play. The Hoosiers beat Iowa, 93-91 and Purdue, 82-80 in those games.
• Langford led the Hoosiers with 17 points and added six rebounds in 34 minutes.
• Freshman Rob Phinisee had 12 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and just 1 turnover in 29 minutes. He also added a block and a steal. He scored 10 of his points in the second half, including 7 in a row to stretch a 4 point lead to 11 in the final 5 minutes.
• Sophomore Al Durham had 12 points and 2 assists. It was his highest Big Ten road output ever. He had 14 at home against Illinois and 10 vs. Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Senior Juwan Morgan had 10 points and 6 rebounds and now needs 30 points (970) to become the 52nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
• Sophomore Justin Smith did not score, but had 9 rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore Clifton Moore had his best Big Ten effort with a conventional 3-point play and 4 rebounds, a block and a steal in the final 7 minutes of the first half.
• Junior DeRon Davis had 2 points and a steal and grad transfer Evan Fitzner had a basket, 5 boards and a blocked shot. Senior Zach McRoberts had 2 points.
• Junior Devonte Green had 6 points and 3 assists. He hit back-to-back 3's early in the game to help IU erase the early 9-point deficit.
• The Hoosiers will host Louisville, Saturday, December 8 at 2:30 p.m. on Fox in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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