Indiana Topples Notre Dame in Crossroads Classic

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Indiana Topples Notre Dame in Crossroads Classic

12/18/2021 4:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Rob Phinisee as Hoosier hero.

Yes, we've returned to that.

Forget, for just a moment, All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis's 26th career double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) in Indiana's 64-56 Crossroads Classic victory over Notre Dame Saturday.

Instead, consider Phinisee, a senior guard whose up-and-down career has found another peak despite lingering injuries.

His six points, five rebounds and five assists were crucial. His key late-game three-pointer sparked IU's decisive closing stretch.

"He hasn't been 100% yet," Jackson-Davis said. "When he gets there, he'll be a big addition."

Crunch-time approached at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and IU was offensively out of sorts. Notre Dame had made a big run. Jackson-Davis had just blown a dunk.

And then Phinisee, with the shot clocking winding down, nailed his second three-pointer in an arena -- by whatever name you want to call it -- has always been kind to him.

A two-point lead became five. A few more Hoosier points later and cliffhanger morphed into solid victory in the final Crossroads Classic.

"Rob gave us a huge lift," coach Mike Woodson said. "I need him in the worst way. He knows how I feel about him. I've got to get him to believe he can do things like tonight.

"He's a hell of a defender. He can make shots and make plays for others. I have to get him more comfortable, show him more love and confidence that he can do those things."

Phinisee, whose game-winning three-pointer beat Butler in the Crossroad Classic in what was then called Bankers Life Fieldhouse, has hit enough big shots to have earned the nickname of "Big-shot Rob."

But it's been a tough early season. He averages 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds, the worst scoring of his career, although he does have 22 assists against 13 turnovers.

"He's trying to grind it out," Jackson-Davis said. "He's starting to get healthy and confident. Once he gets that, he will do a lot of good things for us."

IU (9-2) was decisive down the stretch against fierce Notre Dame pressure that turned a 10-point Hoosier second-half lead into ties of 46-46 and 47-47.

The Hoosiers thrived offensively and defensively in crunch time as they hadn't a couple weeks earlier at Wisconsin.

"It' shows we're growing as a team," Jackson-Davis said. "Our defense kept us in the game.

"We made plays down the stretch. We got stops down the stretch. It was good for us."

It was exactly what Woodson wanted to see from the Hoosiers.

"We made the plays down the stretch we needed to make," Woodson said. "It's what I told them in the locker room, 'You stepped up and did what you had to do down the stretch.'"

IU got to that point after its first-half offense became too perimeter oriented. Trailing by nine points, Woodson made it clear Jackson-Davis and forward Race Thompson (11 points on 4-for-4 shooting; he's made his last 10 shots) had to get the ball.

"Coach Woodson made that a big emphasis," Jackson-Davis said. "He started yelling to play inside-out.

"That's a big key for us. We trust our guards to make open shots, but after that first sequence, he said we're playing inside-out the rest of the game."

Added Woodson: "We struggled early. I was struggling to find offense. But our defense was tight. Notre Dame wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't want to be a team that lives on the three-point shot. If you've got it, take it, but our game is playing inside-out."

The Hoosiers got 12 points from Parker Stewart (on 3-for-4 three-point shooting) and 11 from Xavier Johnson. Seven of the nine Hoosiers who played scored.

Notre Dame (4-5), coming off an upset victory of then No. 10 Kentucky, was led by guard Dane Goodwin's 15 points.

Ferocious defense sparked IU in the first-half's closing minutes, and then again in the closing minutes. Notre Dame shot air balls when it wasn't getting shot-clock violations or throwing passes into the void.

"Three straight possession we had a chance to take the lead (in the final minutes) and couldn't do it," Irish coach Mike Brey said. "We never could.

"They really defended us. They turned us over."

Jackson-Davis was a big part of that with his two blocks and shot-altering defense.

"When you have a guy who can take away things away from the rim like he can," Brey said, "it really makes it tough. They have that."

Added Notre Dame forward Paul Atkinson: "He's one of the best players we'll go against. He made a lot of tough ones."

IU was without freshman guard Tamar Bates, who was unavailable after a death in the family. He averaged 6.7 points and 1.5 rebounds.

The Hoosiers spotted the Irish an early nine-point lead, rebounding passively, shooting tentatively, then went to work.

Trailing 24-15, IU ratcheted up the defensive pressure, forcing a pair of Irish shot clock violations and drawing to a rebounding tie. It ended the half on a 15-3 run for a 30-27 halftime lead.

"I was feeling pretty good," Woodson said. "I told them, we need to put a solid 20-minute half and we'll come out with a win."

Thompson and Miller Kopp and sparked IU to a 10-4 second-half run and a 40-31 lead. A Jackson-Davis dunk off an Anthony Leal assist make it 45-35 with 11:41 left.

Things got heated off a hard foul on Jackson-Davis by Cormac Ryan. The Irish responded with an 11-1 run for a 46-46 tie.

Johnson ended the drought with a free throw. Thompson scored inside. Phinisee hit his second three-pointer. The Hoosiers led 52-47 with 4:16 lead, then forced an Irish turnover, then really surged.

Johnson hit a jumper. Jackson-Davis scored four straight points. IU led 59-49 with 2:07 left.

The Hoosiers closed it out from the line.

With Butler's blowout loss to Purdue in Saturday's opener, Indiana finished as the all-time Crossroads Classic winner with an 8-3 record. It won its last five games in the event.