Nebraska's Jorge Brian Diaz hit two foul shots to give the Cornhuskers a one-point lead with 11 seconds left to culminate a late comeback that lifted them to a 70-69 win over Indiana before over 8,000 delirious fans at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Wednesday. IU's Jordan Hulls missed two late attempts in the final moments as the Hoosiers fell to their third consecutive defeat.
After an impressive early season start, IU is now 15-4 overall, 3-4 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers were their own worst enemy down the stretch, turning the ball over repeatedly and allowing Nebraska to stay close.
IU held an 11 point advantage with over six minutes left before Nebraska’s shots started going down in a hurry. McCray and Spencer hit 3-pointers during an 8-0 run that made it 63-60 with 4:28 to go and from there, the Huskers kept chipping away until the Hoosiers were clinging to a one-pint lead with 38 seconds to go. Hulls drew a foul and made two free throws with 35 seconds to go before Talley grabbed an offensive rebound and a putback to make it 69-68 with 23.8 seconds left.
And on the following possession Hulls, who earlier this year snapped a Big Ten record streak of 58 consecutive free throws, missed the crucial front end of the one and one.
The Hoosiers committed 15 turnovers in the game, including 10 that came in the second half that turned into 10 Nebraska points, which were a big part of the reason the Huskers stayed in the game.
“We’ve got to take care of the ball better,” stated IU coach Tom Crean. “I think we’re going to go back and look at the film and we’re going to look at the turnovers in the second half and just see how excruciatingly painful those were for us, because those turned into more easy baskets for Nebraska. … I think it was just our strength with the ball and some decision making.”
Freshman Cody Zeller turned in another solid performance. Zeller scored 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists and Hulls chipped in with 12.
For the Cornhuskers (10-8, 2-5) , it was a trio of seniors who made the big plays throughout. Guard Bo Spencer shot through slumps and finished with 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting. Senior guard Toney McCray scored 11. Diaz and senior guard Dylan Talley chipped in with 10 each.
IU tries to stop the bleeding when they return home Sunday to entertain Penn State.
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