Phinisee's Jumper Leads IU Past Penn State in OT, 87-85

Wednesday, December 30

Bloomington, Ind.

8:30 p.m.

Indiana University

6-4,1-2Big Ten

Penn State

3-4,0-3Big Ten

OT 1

Penn St.

Indiana

Phinisee's Jumper Leads IU Past Penn State in OT, 87-85

12/30/2020 11:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio

IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This was the Big Ten toughness we've waited to see from Indiana.

You know, the game where the Hoosiers will themselves to victory against a relentless opponent that refuses to quit, smash through the adversity that comes from an 0-2 Big Ten start.

This was the Rob Phinisee we knew could take charge, earlier struggles be darned.

On a cold and wintry night, IU (6-4 overall) made play after play, refused to buckle against Penn State tenacity, defended ferociously when it mattered most and hung on for an 87-85 overtime thriller.

"We're very excited to get the losing streak off our minds," coach Archie Miller said. "It weighs on you. The Big Ten is so daunting.

"We had to play through the pressure of being down. We found a way. This was a big one."

No one came up bigger than Phinisee, the junior who ran the show at the end of regulation, and then overtime. Forget the fact he's lost his starting job to freshman Trey Galloway. With the game on the line, Phinisee attacked through chaos and hit the twisting jumper that won it.

"(Penn State) blew up the last play," Miller said. "Rob didn't panic. He kept it, squared up, got into the paint. He got a good look. He's made some big shots for us."

Phinisee's 11 points matched his total from the previous three games. He added three blocks.

"We needed him in a big way," Miller said "He got key blocks, key deflections. That's what we need from Rob.

"When he's not himself, it hurts us. We need Rob to get to the basket, make guys better, be more aggressive. He's a tone setter on defense.

"A big key to season is how he plays."

As far as losing his starter's status, Phinisee said, "I do whatever Coach says. Play team ball."

The coaching message was clear, he added.

"Do my job and get stops. Make big plays."

Getting back in the groove, Phinisee said, started with defense.

"Once you get steals and blocks, once you're locking it up, it translates to offense."

For long stretches Wednesday night, guards Aljami Durham and Armaan Franklin dueled for best-player-on-the-court honors. Durham finished with 18 points and four assists. Franklin had 16 points.

They hit big shots, made sharp passes, ran the offense, defended the perimeter and, in short, did what you'd expect two of your best players to do.

And then forward Trayce Jackson-Davis took charge en route to a 21-point, six-rebound effort.

"We will only go as far as veteran players will take us," Miller said. "That's what this league is about."

Don't forget Galloway, who had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes.

"Trey was fantastic in terms of his play making," Miller said. "For his age, he's as good a playmaker as I've seen. He is fearless."

Must-win urgency produced free-flowing offense that delivered 60-percent shooting for most of the game. The Hoosiers finished at 57 percent.

IU played fast and efficiently, and attacked relentlessly. It got guys the ball when they were in position to score, much of the time in the paint.

As for the defense, Miller said, "We have to buckle down. You can't score 87 every game. Giving up 85 was the one downer."

The Hoosiers scored on six of their first eight possessions, played seven guys in less than five minutes, shot 66.7 percent from the field and bolted ahead 12-7.

That was a sign of good offense to come.

What was in essence a five-point play from Durham – he hit a three-pointer, Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry got hit with a technical (he thought Jackson-Davis was out of bounds when he passed to Durham for the three-pointer) and Durham made both free throws – pushed IU ahead 29-20.

The Nittany Lions (3-4) came back with a 6-0 run.

The Hoosiers finished the half shooting 54 percent from the field for a 38-33 lead. Durham set the tone with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

Penn State forced ties of 49-49, 51-51 and 53-53 as the clock approached the 12-minute mark before baskets from Jerome Hunter and Phinisee gave the Hoosiers a 57-53 advantage.

Three-pointers from Durham (two) and Phinisee pushed the lead to 12 with 9:56 left.

The Nittany Lions rallied to take an 80-79 lead on guard Sam Sessions' jumper with 25 seconds left. Jackson-Davis made one of two free throws with 7.7 seconds left to force overtime.

Penn State clung to an 83-82 lead for the longest time, twice missing long three-pointers against an IU defense that shut down the inside. Then Jackson-Davis scored inside, was fouled and completed the three-point play for an 85-83 lead.

The Nittany Lions tied it with a pair of free throws.

Phinisee's jumper put IU ahead 87-85 with 15 seconds left, and the Hoosiers defense went into shut-down mode.

The first Big Ten victory had arrived.

"Al shot the ball," Miller said. "Rob made big plays. Hopefully that will be a trend.

"We're still trying to get our most important guys playing well."