Sycamores fall to Hoosiers, 56-52

BLOOMINGTON, IN (11-23-2004) – With Indiana nursing a 55-52 lead in the closing seconds, IU’s Marshall Strickland intercepted a David Moss pass intended for Eric Gray to seal the victory for the Hoosiers. Strickland was fouled and added a free throw to make the final score 56-52 in favor of the Hoosiers.

The Sycamores tied the game 50-50 when Tyson Schnitker drove to the basket for a layup with 3:31 remaining in the game. Gray was called for a loose ball foul on the Hoosiers’ ensuing possession. Pat Ewing Jr., made one of two free throws to give IU a 51-50 lead. After Schnitker was called for an offensive foul, the Sycamores held defensively, but Moss’ jumper from just inside the three-point arc with 1:38 remaining rimmed out before Strickland drove to the basket and gave the Hoosiers a three-point advantage.

IU’s Bracey Wright led all scorers with 20 points, while Strickland added 13. Robert Vaden added ten for the Hoosiers, who shot 21 of 48 (.438) from the floor. The Sycamores limited IU to just 29 percent (7 of 24) from three-point range.

Moss led the Sycamore with 15 points, while Amani Daanish added 14, all of which came in the second half. Daanish also hauled in a game-high nine rebounds. Gray pumped in eleven points for the Sycamores. ISU outrebounded the Hoosiers, 33-28 and enjoyed a 9-4 advantage in second chance points.

The Sycamores jumped out to an early lead, taking a 10-4 advantage on a three-point shot from Eric Gray with 15:54 remaining in the first half. ISU built its lead to as many as eight (17-9) midway through the first half, but the Hoosiers used an 11-3 run to tie the game 20-20 with 4:48 to play in the opening stanza. The teams traded baskets and went to halftime tied 26-26.

ISU returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 27) when the Sycamores travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to take on the University at Buffalo. Tip-off between the Sycamores and Bulls is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. CST. USA-365.com provides live Internet audio streaming with Brian Fritz providing the play-by-play and Jim Waugh with the color commentary. The pre-game show starts at 4:40 p.m., with the tip-off set for 5:05 p.m., CST (6:05 p.m., EST) on www.USA-365.com.

Statistics