Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, December 10
New York City
9:00 PM
Indiana University
9-1,0-1Big Ten
57
vs
54
UConn
6-3,0-0AAC
1
2
F
Indiana
34
23
57
UConn
29
25
54
Hoosiers Outlast UConn, 57-54, at Madison Square Garden
12/11/2019 12:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
NEW YORK – Guard Rob Phinisee was back and, from the free-throw line, money.
Guard Aljami Durham attacked, and the Connecticut Huskies paid.
Then there was Joey Brunk as basketball beast – scoring, rebounding, battling.
Finally, there was Tuesday night's Indiana Jimmy V Classic victory, 57-54, over Connecticut in Madison Square Garden.
"This environment was electric at the start," coach Archie Miller told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his post-game radio show. "We got punched in the mouth. The crowd starts to get rolling. I thought our guys did a good job of staying grounded. We had a number of guys keep their poise and talk. We found a way to hang around."
Sometimes you have to win ugly. With a combined 35 turnovers and 35 fouls, this qualified.
No matter.
IU (9-1) toughed out the victory.
"Sometimes these are the ones that mean the most to you," Miller told Fischer. "Our guys fought it out and played through adversity."
Eleven Hoosiers played and 10 scored. No one reached double figures. Brunk and Durham each had nine points. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis added eight points and seven rebounds. Phinisee went 4-for-4 from the free throw line for six points, four rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
"All 11 guys contributed," Miller told Fischer. "It's hard to bite your lip and play six to seven minutes. This team right now is built that way. We have to hang in there. We have to go through ups and downs, but we have to stay together. We have a chance to be a deep team.
"We have a lot of guys who can step up and make plays."
All this blasted away the disappointment from the 20-point loss at Wisconsin three days earlier and restored order to the Cream 'n Crimson world.
"This is an experience you can't say enough about how you have to find a way sometimes," Miller told Fischer. "It doesn't look good, but they didn't quit. A lot of guys hung in there."
IU unleashed a 16-1 run to turn a 10-point early deficit into a five-point halftime advantage.
That was huge.
That was toughness.
The Hoosiers forced 22 UConn turnovers and held the Huskies to 41 percent shooting.
Phinisee was a huge early contributor with four points, two rebounds and two assists in eight first-half minutes. Fatigue was an issue – injuries have limited his practice and playing time – and Miller had to manage it.
Mission accomplished.
In the second half, Phinisee played five minutes and added two points and two rebounds.
"He played more minutes than he practiced all season," Miller told Fischer. "He was ready. Not only did he stabilize us, but he changed the momentum. He gave us some confidence. That's what you love to have in your point guard.
"He did that all evening. He has not had a lot of reps. The game reps from a year ago gave him confidence. It's great to have him back. I'm happy for him because he's had a tough go."
IU needed a fast start and got it -- for three minutes. It jumped to a 4-0 lead before Connecticut (6-3) turned defensively nasty. With forward Akok Akok blocking three shots and the Hoosiers firing three three-point air balls, the Huskies bolted ahead 15-6.
Phinisee returned to action for the first time in a couple of weeks and quickly drove for a layup. Center De'Ron Davis, an invisible man for most of the early season, came in and scored.
Still, the Huskies built a 10-point lead before the Hoosiers ratcheted up the defense, forcing turnovers at a machine-gun pace to ignite that 16-1 run for a 34-29 halftime lead.
IU pushed ahead 38-31 before Connecticut tied it with a 7-0 run.
The Hoosiers had 11 minutes to prove their toughness.
Again, mission accomplished.
IU swingman Jerome Hunter had a huge moment with a basket and a block to boost the Hoosiers ahead by two.
Then it was Brunk's turn with a three-point play and a couple of muscle-up baskets to bounce back from a poor first half.
"It's not easy to do what he did," Miller told Fischer. "He got off to a slow start. Things are not going your way. We needed somebody to step up and say, 'I need the ball. I'm going to get some things done.'
"He made three to four plays in a row. He ran the floor hard. It took that type of energy to get us over the top."
The Hoosiers pushed ahead by five, but no further. The Huskies closed within
That set the stage for a pair of clutch Phinisee free throws. A Connecticut three-point made it 56-54 with 14 seconds left.
IU guard Devonte Green hit the first of a bonus free throw situation, missed the second.
Connecticut grabbed the rebound and had a chance, but the Hoosiers forced a turnover, and survived.
"The second half turned into an absolute grinder," Miller said. "Two-point baskets around the rim became hard.
"Connecticut didn't shoot it well. They turned it over. I'd like to think we had a little bit to do with that.
"This turned into a knock-down fight. Happy we were able to win it."
IUHoosiers.com
NEW YORK – Guard Rob Phinisee was back and, from the free-throw line, money.
Guard Aljami Durham attacked, and the Connecticut Huskies paid.
Then there was Joey Brunk as basketball beast – scoring, rebounding, battling.
Finally, there was Tuesday night's Indiana Jimmy V Classic victory, 57-54, over Connecticut in Madison Square Garden.
"This environment was electric at the start," coach Archie Miller told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his post-game radio show. "We got punched in the mouth. The crowd starts to get rolling. I thought our guys did a good job of staying grounded. We had a number of guys keep their poise and talk. We found a way to hang around."
Sometimes you have to win ugly. With a combined 35 turnovers and 35 fouls, this qualified.
No matter.
IU (9-1) toughed out the victory.
"Sometimes these are the ones that mean the most to you," Miller told Fischer. "Our guys fought it out and played through adversity."
Eleven Hoosiers played and 10 scored. No one reached double figures. Brunk and Durham each had nine points. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis added eight points and seven rebounds. Phinisee went 4-for-4 from the free throw line for six points, four rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
"All 11 guys contributed," Miller told Fischer. "It's hard to bite your lip and play six to seven minutes. This team right now is built that way. We have to hang in there. We have to go through ups and downs, but we have to stay together. We have a chance to be a deep team.
"We have a lot of guys who can step up and make plays."
All this blasted away the disappointment from the 20-point loss at Wisconsin three days earlier and restored order to the Cream 'n Crimson world.
"This is an experience you can't say enough about how you have to find a way sometimes," Miller told Fischer. "It doesn't look good, but they didn't quit. A lot of guys hung in there."
IU unleashed a 16-1 run to turn a 10-point early deficit into a five-point halftime advantage.
That was huge.
That was toughness.
The Hoosiers forced 22 UConn turnovers and held the Huskies to 41 percent shooting.
Phinisee was a huge early contributor with four points, two rebounds and two assists in eight first-half minutes. Fatigue was an issue – injuries have limited his practice and playing time – and Miller had to manage it.
Mission accomplished.
In the second half, Phinisee played five minutes and added two points and two rebounds.
"He played more minutes than he practiced all season," Miller told Fischer. "He was ready. Not only did he stabilize us, but he changed the momentum. He gave us some confidence. That's what you love to have in your point guard.
"He did that all evening. He has not had a lot of reps. The game reps from a year ago gave him confidence. It's great to have him back. I'm happy for him because he's had a tough go."
IU needed a fast start and got it -- for three minutes. It jumped to a 4-0 lead before Connecticut (6-3) turned defensively nasty. With forward Akok Akok blocking three shots and the Hoosiers firing three three-point air balls, the Huskies bolted ahead 15-6.
Phinisee returned to action for the first time in a couple of weeks and quickly drove for a layup. Center De'Ron Davis, an invisible man for most of the early season, came in and scored.
Still, the Huskies built a 10-point lead before the Hoosiers ratcheted up the defense, forcing turnovers at a machine-gun pace to ignite that 16-1 run for a 34-29 halftime lead.
IU pushed ahead 38-31 before Connecticut tied it with a 7-0 run.
The Hoosiers had 11 minutes to prove their toughness.
Again, mission accomplished.
IU swingman Jerome Hunter had a huge moment with a basket and a block to boost the Hoosiers ahead by two.
Then it was Brunk's turn with a three-point play and a couple of muscle-up baskets to bounce back from a poor first half.
"It's not easy to do what he did," Miller told Fischer. "He got off to a slow start. Things are not going your way. We needed somebody to step up and say, 'I need the ball. I'm going to get some things done.'
"He made three to four plays in a row. He ran the floor hard. It took that type of energy to get us over the top."
The Hoosiers pushed ahead by five, but no further. The Huskies closed within
That set the stage for a pair of clutch Phinisee free throws. A Connecticut three-point made it 56-54 with 14 seconds left.
IU guard Devonte Green hit the first of a bonus free throw situation, missed the second.
Connecticut grabbed the rebound and had a chance, but the Hoosiers forced a turnover, and survived.
"The second half turned into an absolute grinder," Miller said. "Two-point baskets around the rim became hard.
"Connecticut didn't shoot it well. They turned it over. I'd like to think we had a little bit to do with that.
"This turned into a knock-down fight. Happy we were able to win it."
Team Stats
IND
UConn
FG%
.368
.412
3FG%
.154
.286
FT%
.722
.600
RB
34
37
TO
13
22
STL
10
5
Game Leaders
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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