Indiana Survives Late Rally from Minnesota to Win 84-79

Sunday, February 27

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Indiana Survives Late Rally from Minnesota to Win 84-79

2/27/2022 8:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

MINNEAPOLIS – A not-so-funny thing happened as Indiana was cruising to a blowout victory at Minnesota Sunday night.

A cliffhanger showed up.

The Hoosiers made just enough plays (can you say Xavier Johnson?), hit just enough free throws, withstood fierce Gopher pressure and perimeter shooting to win 84-79 and took a huge step in securing an NCAA tourney bid.

"It was a big win," coach Mike Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. "We played great and had a wonderful stretch to build the lead to 27.

"I think we got comfortable. They made plays. They made shots. They got back into it. I'm happy we ended up finishing the game."

Hanging on to an 82-79 lead with 3.9 seconds left. Johnson hit a pair of free throws to clinch IU's second straight victory and improve its record to 18-10, 9-9 in the Big Ten.

"X made his free throws," Woodson told Fischer. "That was huge."

For 32 minutes, Indiana scored and defended at an elite level.

Then it nearly slipped away.

The Gophers (13-14) got hot, no one more than Payton Willis, who hit seven three-pointers en route to a 28-point game. They had eight three-pointers in the final seven minutes.

"We built a comfortable lead playing the right way and we got a little stale," Woodson told Fischer. "They were able to get back making the long ball."

The Hoosiers could have flashed back to its game at Wisconsin, when they blew a 22-point lead.

They did not.

They learned.

"Teams will make runs," Woodson told Fischer. "Big Ten teams aren't going to quit.

"They were at home. They weren't playing well early. We were playing great. They got hot. We were able to withstand it.

"I'm happy about that. That's what it's all about. We made the plays down the stretch we needed to make."

Johnson continued his dominating point-guard play. He scored 24 points for the second straight game, going 4-for-6 from three-point range. He added eight assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes while running the offense to Woodson's demands.

In his last two games, he has 48 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and four turnovers.

"He did a great job," Woodson told Fischer. "He's getting the ball where it's got to go. Guys are benefiting. He was solid. I will need that the rest of the way."

This was far from a one-man show. Eight of the nine Hoosiers who played scored.

That included guard Rob Phinisee, who returned after missing seven games due to a foot injury. He hadn't played since facing Penn State on Jan. 26.

He totaled eight points in nine minutes.

"It was nice having Rob back," Woodson told Fischer. "I had to spot his minutes. I told (team trainer Tim Garl) I wouldn't play him more than 10 minutes because he hadn't practiced. They were positive minutes. They helped us win."

IU also got strong performances by Trayce Jackson-Davis (14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals), Jordan Geronimo (10 points) and Miller Kopp (10 points, two three-pointers).

For those who think Parker Stewart isn't a good defender, it's time to re-evaluate. He showed excellent defensive intensity and activity with a pair of steals, and led Indiana with a plus-15 ratio. He had five points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Hoosiers were 10-for-21 on three-pointers, huge for a team that had made at least that many only three previous times. They also had a 23-13 edge in bench points and a 34-20 advantage in points in the paint.

"Everybody who played, played great," Woodson told Fischer. "Rob and Geronimo were huge off the bench.

"We made shots. We made 10 threes. That's a lot for us. Guys were making shots. It's nice to see."

The Hoosiers were still without injured guards Trey Galloway and Khristian Lander.

For most of the game, IU flexed its Big Ten-leading defensive muscles, highlighted by one first-half sequence in which players scrambled furiously to negate strong Minnesota cutting and movement. It ended with Jackson-Davis forcing a missed Gopher layup.

Minnesota scored the game's first four points. IU responded with seven straight, including a Johnson three-pointer. A minute later, Kopp hit a three-pointer.

Then it was more Johnson as the Hoosiers pushed ahead 19-12 and then 27-15.

Phinisee replaced him and hit a basket, his first in a month. Johnson came back in and hit another three-pointer, his fourth of the half.

He finished with 16 first-half points as the Hoosiers led 40-33 at halftime. All eight IU players who got in the game scored.

The Hoosiers scored the first five points of the second half to build a 12-point lead. A couple of minutes later, they were ahead 53-36. The lead eventually reached 27 at 70-43 with 8:23 left.

The Gophers roared back to close within 74-67.

A pair of Johnson free throws slowed their momentum, but didn't stop it. Minnesota got within three points before two more Johnson free throws clinched it.

The Hoosiers host Rutgers on Wednesday before ending the regular season at Purdue on Saturday.