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Hoosiers gut out win in Evanston

by Alex Bozich in Recaps | February 23rd, 2008

th_23659_gamerecap_122_111lo.jpgAfter an emotional week that ended with the resignation of Kelvin Sampson, Indiana pulled it together under interim coach Dan Dakich Saturday night in Evanston and beat Northwestern, 85-82.

Four Hoosiers (23-4, 12-2 Big Ten) were in double figures, led by Armon Bassett with 24 points.

Jordan Crawford scored 21 points, Eric Gordon had 18 and D.J. White chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“We said it was us against the world and that’s how we went out here and approached it,” White said. “Some of the guys were still down and I felt it was my duty to pick them up. I had to be that leader.”

Indiana out-rebounded Northwestern 35-18 and hit 30 of 37 free throws.

“It was a tough week, I’m glad we got the win and we’ll go from here,”Dakich said.

In a tribute to Sampson, Indiana players wrote the initials K.S. on their red Adidas shoes. Sampson’s son Kellen, remained with the team in his role as a graduate manager.

The Wildcats (7-18, 0-14) had a chance to win, but Michael Thompson missed a layup with five seconds remaining and White grabbed the rebound and was fouled. White then stepped to the line to give Indiana a three-point lead with two free throws.

Kevin Coble scored a career-high 37 points for Northwestern on 12 of 16 shooting in 39 minutes.

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  • Chuck
    We won even though we were homered. I thought that was a great win. I certainly hope Jamarcus can get it together emotionally... we are going to need him the rest of the year. DJ is a monster, Bassett stepped up, and Crawford was essential, Gordon again did it from the line. Again, great win!
  • Nick
    FFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Great win, all things considered . . . now they can regroup and head back home. Hope we can provide a positive atmosphere for these ultra-tough competitors!!!
  • jgongora
    These kids have been through a lot, and I think this can be a great motivational win for the future. I love these kids and my heart will go out for them every game.
  • Martin34
    A team performance. Fitting for DJ to be the one to sink those last two freethrows.

    It was great to see the Hoosier Nation rock that place tonight too. I'm sure the players felt the love.
  • Hoosier_Hound
    Great game AB and TUO! It seemed like you couldn't blink or you were going to miss a dagger three by one of them.
  • tberry
    Great job team. You have been through a lot but have shown you are men and got the job done for your school. IU is proud of you.
  • kelin
    Great win...listening to Dak on his "new" post game show with Fish it was very emotional from the pregame meal through the entire game.

    He pointed out emphatically...there was never a boycott or a revolt as people reported. I could tell in his voice he was just mentally spent! I got a good feeling about this time from this point on .........adversity coudl really bring them together.

    EJ has to make some shots......but the kid gets to the line. Is ok to say now we officially love Jordan Crawford. Also I have seen Armon grow into a solid point guard....should get some big ten honors soon......
  • Hope that everyone saw "The Hug" between DJ and Dakich after Coach's emotional post-game interview on the court with Shon Morris. As Dakich was leaving, DJ grabbed him and gave him a big hug.

    That strkes me as a huge statement for the rest of the team. In a time when there were doubts about the players' loyalties, DJ seemed to be saying, "We're with you, Coach."

    Dakich was also really (appropriately) respectful of the masterful coaching job that Sampson did with these guys. Whatever his habits off the court, he did a tremendous job moulding this team. Gave me my first ray of hope for this team's future in several days.
  • JamesHardy
    Did anyone else hear Armon's interview on ESPN Radio's All Night show after the game? He was asked if he would give up a year of eligibility and transfer when the season is over....his answer was not overly reassuring.
  • HoosierSmitty
    At least we won...not a place we've had success at the past few times we've traveled there. So I'll take the W and run. 2 of our last 4 games are at home so that should make life a little bit easier for these kids.

    Let's hope they can pull together and find a way to win the Big Ten title and do some damage in the NCAA tourney.
  • i wonder who wrote "KS" on Jamarcus' shoes for him?
  • JamesHardy
    my guess is...kelvin used up some of his remaining minutes on the university cell and told him how to spell kay ess....
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