IU Rallies Late To Defeat Notre Dame

Saturday, December 19

Indianapolis, IN

2:00 PM

Indiana University

9-3

Notre Dame

7-3

Notre Dame

Indiana

12/19/2015 4:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter

INDIANAPOLIS - A game that nearly got away from Indiana didn't.

What at one point seemed like a blowout never was.

And Indiana ultimately wound up celebrating an 80-73 Crossroads Classic win that left Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey questioning how it got away and Indiana head coach Tom Crean praising the way his team responded to adversity.

"Our players did a fantastic job of responding to their strengths and playing through it," Crean said. "We're very proud of the win."

Indiana (9-3) slowly chipped away at a Notre Dame (7-3) lead that ballooned to as many as 16 points five minutes into the second half. Seemingly each and every time the Hoosiers made a run, the Fighting Irish had an answer to keep their advantage.

Even sophomore guard Robert Johnson admitted people at home were probably turning the game off thinking it was over long before the final buzzer.
Until senior guard Yogi Ferrell hit a 3-pointer.

Ferrell's trey with just over four minutes left in the game capped an 8-0 run that brought Indiana even with Notre Dame, 73-73. From there, the Hoosiers outscored the Irish 9-2 in the final 2:44 and ended the game on a 40-17 run after being down 16, marking the largest comeback in the Crean-era.

"Tough one for us to swallow," Brey said. "I thought Indiana earned it tonight, especially the last seven minutes."

Crean and his players praised Indiana's defensive improvement in the second half. The Hoosiers somewhat unexpectedly relied on a 2-3 zone for the majority of their winning run, forcing the Irish into poor shots all while dominating the offensive glass en route to a 41-33 rebounding advantage.

The mindset change was partially the result of Indiana's own halftime adjustments. Crean said Indiana had a "tough locker room" at halftime and committed to playing more aggressive in the second half on the defensive end. Meanwhile, junior forward Troy Williams heated up to lead Indiana with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of four Hoosiers to finish with double-digit scoring.

Indiana wasn't necessarily doing anything differently defensively, junior forward Collin Hartman said. The Hoosiers were just doing what they do better.

"It was the rotations and the communications that might have made it look different," Hartman said. "We did a great job of just moving, being active."

Perhaps the only thing more important than the resume-boosting win was how Indiana got the victory.

Crean will be able to reflect on this game down the line to prove to his team that they can win even when things start going south. It's the type of experience the Hoosiers can add to their mental Rolodex and use as a teaching point throughout the Big Ten season.

"It's the way we won the game," Crean said. "And I think it's the way we responded to what we weren't doing in the first half. I said to them, 'You can bottle it up and it becomes part of who you are, or you can forget about it and it just becomes a one-game experience and it was a great win."

Crean will hope for the latter, especially for a team that relies on as many young players as Indiana does.

Though, he wouldn't mind seeing his team skip the part where they fall behind by 16.

"It's a step forward to the future," Williams said. "It's a step forward."