GRAHAM: Defense Travels
12/6/2018 9:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Defense travels.
Offense can ebb and flow, as it certainly did Tuesday night for Indiana at Penn State, but defense can remain constant. You can take it on the road with you, which is especially meaningful in the rugged Big Ten.
And it seemed entirely appropriate that a defensive play – IU's Rob Phinisee stripping the ball away from PSU's Lamar Stevens on a Nittany Lion inbounds pass – sealed Indiana's 64-62 victory.
Phinisee is not afraid to make such plays. He helped the Hoosiers win in a lot of other ways on both ends, too, as did fellow frosh Romeo Langford.
"He was the deciding factor in the game," Penn State coach Pat Chambers said of Phinisee.
But it also loomed large that Stevens, the league's second-leading scorer coming in, managed just 12 points. That was roughly half his average.
And it mattered that PSU's senior guard Josh Reaves, the Lions' second-leading scorer (11.7 points per game entering Tuesday) got just three points against IU, hitting just 1 of 9 shots from the field.
It still turned into a pulse-pounder, typical of Indiana-Penn State games of recent vintage, but defense doubtless helped the Hoosiers get it done after they started with a 9-0 deficit.
"I think the end result is the only thing that's pretty, probably, about tonight," Hoosier head coach Archie Miller noted during his post-game radio interview. "But that's how it's going to be in Big Ten play, on the road.
"And for our guys to be able to come back and find a way, especially after our start, was good to see."
There were eventually quite a few good things for Hoosier fans to see in the first half, even though the offense stagnated at the start:
Devonte Green, playing his way back to sharpness after missing four games to injury, buried back-to-back 3s to ignite the somnambulant Hoosier attack and forge a 10-10 tie with 10:57 left before halftime –- and, in between, Green blocked a shot by NU's Rasir Bolton.
The home-state turf seemed to agree with Clifton Moore, who gave IU a needed lift before halftime. His flying tip-in of a missed Langford 3, while drawing a foul then hitting the ensuring free throw, put the Hoosiers up 24-19. Then he made a steal at the other end.
And Langford drew blood in the first half. Literally.
By the time he was accidentally cut in the forehead by Bolton with 0:22.8 left in the half, Langford already had 15 points.
During one stretch that would've drawn an admiring nod from Fred Astaire, a Langford step-back 18-footer made it 26-21, then a Langford step-back 3 made it 29-23 before another Langford step-back inside the arc made it 31-25.
Then Phinisee sent IU into intermission up 34-30 with a great move through traffic to beat the halftime buzzer.
And Phinisee was just getting started.
IU was clinging to a 54-50 edge when Phinisee scored seven straight Hoosier points, starting with a 3 that accounted for the first Indiana score in over two minutes.
Phinisee followed with two charities, then ripped a defensive rebound away from Stevens and went coast-to-coast for a bucket. And when a different Hoosier finally scored, as Evan Fitzner firing home a 3 to make it 63-52 with 3:55 left, it was Phinisee who supplied the assist.
"Rob was really good," Miller said. "You know, he played 29 minutes. I thought, defensively, he was really good. He defensive rebounded. He had one turnover and five assists, which is a great stat. Stepped up and made a huge 3. Made his free throws.
"Without question, he was a complete warrior. And then even the last play of the game, having the wherewithal to step out on the switch and be able to take away the pass – a 50/50 ball, and he got it."
And IU was in a position where that sort of play needed making because Penn State closed with a 10-1 run as the Hoosier offense again got tentative.
One issue was not finding Langford. He had just three shots after halftime.
"I think they did a good job denying him a little bit," Miller said. "He made some good plays in transition, and some unselfish plays in the halfcourt, but we have to do a better job of making sure we get him going a little bit – especially as he had a good first half.
"So the coaching staff has to find ways to help get him rolling when some things are quiet and, at the end of the day, just having him continue to be aggressive."
The Nittany Lions (4-4 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) also employed a ¾-court press that sped the Hoosiers up a bit, and that was reflected by 11 of Indiana's 16 turnovers coming after halftime. And even when IU broke the press, it seemed content to then pull the ball back in the halfcourt – and things bogged down.
"As things get really tight, and our team starts to feel the pressure of the game, we don't continue to run our offense and share it and move it," Miller said. "We sort of figure out a way to hold it, trying to stay safe.
"We have to be able to play through that, play to win, keep being aggressive without being reserved. I think a lot of our turnovers in the second half, we weren't running fluid offense. We were holding the ball and dribbling too much."
The Hoosiers also missed some easy shots and, pretty much for the first time all even, missed a couple of key free throws. IU finished 11 of 14 at the stripe (.786, far better than Indiana's .624 mark coming in.) And while Penn State also made 11 free throws, it missed 15.
"I think Penn State going 11 for 26 contributed to our win as much as anything," Miller acknowledged. "I thought our guys, for the most part, stepped up the line and did good."
Indiana (7-2, 2-0) probably got as good a guard play as it has all season.
Langford, Phinisee, Green and Al Durham combined to hit 7 of 13 shots from 3-point range (and 15 of 32 overall, solid on a night IU shot .418 for the game as a team) and 10 of 12 free throws (.833). The backcourt quartet combined to score 47 points and also had 11 assists to four turnovers.
"Second half, I thought we played well for most of it, then the last eight or 10 minutes didn't handle the pressure very well," Miller said. "Clearly had to hang on. But I'll give our guys credit, for the most part. Had a lot of guys contribute and do a lot of good things.
"It feels like a million bucks, getting back on that airplane, because I think everybody is starting to figure out how good the league is and how tough some of the games are actually going to be."
Really tough. That's how the league is shaping up this season.
And Big Ten games are traditionally especially tough for road teams.
But it sure helps if they pack their defense.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Defense travels.
Offense can ebb and flow, as it certainly did Tuesday night for Indiana at Penn State, but defense can remain constant. You can take it on the road with you, which is especially meaningful in the rugged Big Ten.
And it seemed entirely appropriate that a defensive play – IU's Rob Phinisee stripping the ball away from PSU's Lamar Stevens on a Nittany Lion inbounds pass – sealed Indiana's 64-62 victory.
Phinisee is not afraid to make such plays. He helped the Hoosiers win in a lot of other ways on both ends, too, as did fellow frosh Romeo Langford.
"He was the deciding factor in the game," Penn State coach Pat Chambers said of Phinisee.
But it also loomed large that Stevens, the league's second-leading scorer coming in, managed just 12 points. That was roughly half his average.
And it mattered that PSU's senior guard Josh Reaves, the Lions' second-leading scorer (11.7 points per game entering Tuesday) got just three points against IU, hitting just 1 of 9 shots from the field.
It still turned into a pulse-pounder, typical of Indiana-Penn State games of recent vintage, but defense doubtless helped the Hoosiers get it done after they started with a 9-0 deficit.
"I think the end result is the only thing that's pretty, probably, about tonight," Hoosier head coach Archie Miller noted during his post-game radio interview. "But that's how it's going to be in Big Ten play, on the road.
"And for our guys to be able to come back and find a way, especially after our start, was good to see."
There were eventually quite a few good things for Hoosier fans to see in the first half, even though the offense stagnated at the start:
Devonte Green, playing his way back to sharpness after missing four games to injury, buried back-to-back 3s to ignite the somnambulant Hoosier attack and forge a 10-10 tie with 10:57 left before halftime –- and, in between, Green blocked a shot by NU's Rasir Bolton.
The home-state turf seemed to agree with Clifton Moore, who gave IU a needed lift before halftime. His flying tip-in of a missed Langford 3, while drawing a foul then hitting the ensuring free throw, put the Hoosiers up 24-19. Then he made a steal at the other end.
And Langford drew blood in the first half. Literally.
By the time he was accidentally cut in the forehead by Bolton with 0:22.8 left in the half, Langford already had 15 points.
During one stretch that would've drawn an admiring nod from Fred Astaire, a Langford step-back 18-footer made it 26-21, then a Langford step-back 3 made it 29-23 before another Langford step-back inside the arc made it 31-25.
Then Phinisee sent IU into intermission up 34-30 with a great move through traffic to beat the halftime buzzer.
And Phinisee was just getting started.
IU was clinging to a 54-50 edge when Phinisee scored seven straight Hoosier points, starting with a 3 that accounted for the first Indiana score in over two minutes.
Phinisee followed with two charities, then ripped a defensive rebound away from Stevens and went coast-to-coast for a bucket. And when a different Hoosier finally scored, as Evan Fitzner firing home a 3 to make it 63-52 with 3:55 left, it was Phinisee who supplied the assist.
"Rob was really good," Miller said. "You know, he played 29 minutes. I thought, defensively, he was really good. He defensive rebounded. He had one turnover and five assists, which is a great stat. Stepped up and made a huge 3. Made his free throws.
"Without question, he was a complete warrior. And then even the last play of the game, having the wherewithal to step out on the switch and be able to take away the pass – a 50/50 ball, and he got it."
And IU was in a position where that sort of play needed making because Penn State closed with a 10-1 run as the Hoosier offense again got tentative.
One issue was not finding Langford. He had just three shots after halftime.
"I think they did a good job denying him a little bit," Miller said. "He made some good plays in transition, and some unselfish plays in the halfcourt, but we have to do a better job of making sure we get him going a little bit – especially as he had a good first half.
"So the coaching staff has to find ways to help get him rolling when some things are quiet and, at the end of the day, just having him continue to be aggressive."
The Nittany Lions (4-4 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) also employed a ¾-court press that sped the Hoosiers up a bit, and that was reflected by 11 of Indiana's 16 turnovers coming after halftime. And even when IU broke the press, it seemed content to then pull the ball back in the halfcourt – and things bogged down.
"As things get really tight, and our team starts to feel the pressure of the game, we don't continue to run our offense and share it and move it," Miller said. "We sort of figure out a way to hold it, trying to stay safe.
"We have to be able to play through that, play to win, keep being aggressive without being reserved. I think a lot of our turnovers in the second half, we weren't running fluid offense. We were holding the ball and dribbling too much."
The Hoosiers also missed some easy shots and, pretty much for the first time all even, missed a couple of key free throws. IU finished 11 of 14 at the stripe (.786, far better than Indiana's .624 mark coming in.) And while Penn State also made 11 free throws, it missed 15.
"I think Penn State going 11 for 26 contributed to our win as much as anything," Miller acknowledged. "I thought our guys, for the most part, stepped up the line and did good."
Indiana (7-2, 2-0) probably got as good a guard play as it has all season.
Langford, Phinisee, Green and Al Durham combined to hit 7 of 13 shots from 3-point range (and 15 of 32 overall, solid on a night IU shot .418 for the game as a team) and 10 of 12 free throws (.833). The backcourt quartet combined to score 47 points and also had 11 assists to four turnovers.
"Second half, I thought we played well for most of it, then the last eight or 10 minutes didn't handle the pressure very well," Miller said. "Clearly had to hang on. But I'll give our guys credit, for the most part. Had a lot of guys contribute and do a lot of good things.
"It feels like a million bucks, getting back on that airplane, because I think everybody is starting to figure out how good the league is and how tough some of the games are actually going to be."
Really tough. That's how the league is shaping up this season.
And Big Ten games are traditionally especially tough for road teams.
But it sure helps if they pack their defense.
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