Indiana Falls Against Penn State in B1G Tournament

Saturday, March 11

Chicago, Ill.

3:30 PM

Indiana University

22-11,12-8Big Ten

Penn State

22-12,10-10Big Ten

Penn St.

Indiana

Indiana Falls Against Penn State in B1G Tournament

3/11/2023 7:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

CHICAGO – Mike Woodson glared. Boy, did he glare. Indiana was giving up open Penn State 3-pointers and layups at a Big Ten tourney-ruining pace, and the coach had enough.

Woodson called a first-half timeout, delivering tough coaching with a stare that would have backed up a grizzly from 30 yards. Trayce Jackson-Davis got the first rant, the remaining Hoosiers followed.

The result -- open looks vanished along with Penn State's long-range accuracy. Potential blow-out defeat became Cream 'n Crimson possibility.

A tone was set. The third-seeded Hoosiers (22-11) would fight to the finish.

And so, they did, losing 77-73 after shaving off 14 points of a 15-point deficit in the closing minutes.

"We had to fight to get back in it," Woodson said. "We didn't have enough to close it."

The defeat cost IU a Sunday, title-game shot at top-seeded Purdue (28-7), a team it swept during the regular season. Instead, it will spend Selection Sunday awaiting its second straight NCAA tourney opportunity.

"It's our intensity," Jackson-Davis said. "We have to be more intense on the ball. Late in the game, we had that. If we had that the whole game, it would have been a different outcome."

It's a lesson that, if learned, could produce a long NCAA tourney run.

"I have to get them to understand that you have to commit for 40 minutes," Woodson said. "It can be a second that can cost you a tournament victory.

"They have to figure it out when they're on the floor. There's no magical pill to give them when they're struggling. We competed, we just didn't compete for 40 minutes. We fell short. We'll regroup and get ready for NCAA Tournament play.

One thing is certain – unlike last year, there will be no First Four trip to Dayton.

"We'll be prepared," guard Tamar Bates said. "We've seen every part of a season. We went through a lot of adversity and came back from it. We have some time to get ready get our bodies right. We'll be ready to go."

IU lost a Big Ten tourney semifinal cliffhanger for the second straight season, a follow up to last year's last-second loss to Iowa. It meant Jackson-Davis and fellow seniors Race Thompson and Miller Kopp wouldn't win a Big Ten title.

"I put all the heat on me," Woodson said. "I've got to get them over the hump. This is two years in a row we're game from playing for a Big Ten title. I've got to help them more.

"Not to get a Big Ten championship for them is disappointing for me."

Containing Penn State's three-point shooters was a top priority. The No. 10-seeded Nittany Lions hit 18 of them in the first meeting. On Saturday, they hit eight, six more than the Hoosiers.

"They have a good team," Bates said. "One through five can shoot the three-ball."

Jackson-Davis led IU with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Bates came off the bench for 14 points and three assists. Jalen Hood-Schifino had 11 points. He missed a trying three-pointer in the closing seconds.

"He had a good look," Woodson said. "He just didn't make it."

Bates scored one more point than he had in his previous five games combined.

"I just try to help the team win," he said. "The coaches instill confidence in me. My teammates believe in me. They know when I provide a spark off the bench, that makes us that much better of a team."

Jalen Pickett led Penn State (22-12) with 28 points.

"Trayce is special," Nittany Lions coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "For us to play this way against this caliber of team, I'm really proud of our guys."

IU opened with offensive and defensive ferocity -- hitting six of its first nine shots with a 10-0 edge in points in the pant while holding Penn State to 1-for-6 shooting. That produced an early 12-6 lead.

The Nittany Lions responded with a three-point-sharp-shooting-fueled 13-0 run for a 19-12 lead. Kopp ended it with a jumper after that intense Woodson timeout session.

Still, Penn State hit its fifth three-pointer to surge ahead 28-16 with six minutes left in the half.

Thompson electrified the crowd with a spectacular one-handed dunk via a Bates pass that cut the lead to eight. A Jackson-Davis basket cut it to six before IU reached halftime trailing 34-26.

The Hoosiers' 20-8 points-in-the-paint advantage was negated by Penn State's 15-0 three-point edge.

Penn State built a pair of early 10-point, second-half leads. Bates came off the bench to shoot IU within three. A Kopp jumper got the Hoosiers within a point at 42-41. A Jackson-Davis dunk got them within a point. Another dunk tied the score at 47-47 with 10 minutes left.

The Nittany Lions followed with a 7-0 run and rebuilt their 10-point lead as the clock ticked under five minutes, then boosted it to 15 two minutes later.

IU closed within 10, then seven, then five, then four behind fierce full-court defensive pressure and attack offense. Hood-Schifino completed a three-point play. Bates hit his second three-pointer. Jackson-Davis dunked and tipped in a basket. Trey Galloway made a layup.

IU trailed 74-73 with 17.7 seconds left. Penn State closed it out with three straight free throws.

The Hoosiers' focus instantly turned to the NCAA tourney.

"We believe in each other," Bates said. "We believe in our coach. We believe in the staff. Even though we took a tough one, we'll get our stuff right and be ready to compete."