| From MOP Squad Sports Indiana Hoosiers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's continued mastery of Northwestern didn't come easily. Eric Gordon scored 29 points, D.J. White added 26 points and the 11th-ranked Hoosiers pulled away in the closing minutes to beat the Wildcats 75-63. Indiana guard Eric Gordon (23) shoots over Northwestern's Sterling Williams, right, in the second half of a college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008. Gordon scored 29 as Indiana defeated Northwestern 75-63.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Northwestern (7-12, 0-8) never led but twice rallied from eight-point deficits and cut Indiana's lead to 52-50 with under 12 minutes to go. The Wildcats, who shot 64 percent in the first half, then went cold and did not get another field goal until a 3-pointer by Michael Thompson with just over two minutes remaining. By then, it was way too late. Gordon, who had 17 points in the first half, had eight points during a 14-2 run that broke the game open. Indiana took a 66-52 lead after a 3-pointer by Gordon, his sixth of the game, and one of two free throws by the freshman guard, the Big Ten's leading scorer. Northwestern, losing its 14th straight Big Ten game over two seasons, never came closer than 10 points the rest of the game. Craig Moore led the Wildcats with 17 points, and Jeremy Nash and Kevin Coble added 12 apiece. Gordon, wearing a padded splint on his left wrist after a hard fall in practice Tuesday, had five 3-pointers in the first half, but the Hoosiers couldn't pull away for good. His fifth 3-pointer gave Indiana a 38-30 lead with two minutes left in the first half. But a basket by Moore and a 3-pointer by reserve Jason Okrzesik pulled the Wildcats within three, and after two free throws by Indiana's Jamarcus Ellis, Nash scored on a fast break with a second remaining to make it 40-37 at halftime. Northwestern closed within two points four times early in the second half before the Hoosiers began pulling away for good. © Copyright 2007 MOP Squad Sports |
