Blackmon scores 23 as Indiana beats Iowa 95-73 in Big Ten
WASHINGTON (AP/WISH) – James Blackmon Jr. and Indiana buried Iowa under a barrage of long distance shots, and the Hoosiers used a huge second half to notch a 95-73 victory Thursday night in the Big Ten Tournament.
“Just when we came into halftime, we talked about our defense and our energy. Once we get rebounds from our guards and we get run outs, it gets the flow of the game going. I just got into a rhythm,” James Blackmon Jr. said.
Indiana (18-14) used the 3-pointer to turn a close game into a rout. It was 48-all before Blackmon, Devonte Green and Josh Newkirk combined to connect five times from behind the arc during a 30-11 blitz.
The 10th-seeded Hoosiers will next face second-seeded Wisconsin in the quarterfinals Friday night. Indiana was 3-10 in the Big Ten Tournament over the previous 10 years.
Indiana went 12 for 20 from 3-point range, including 6 for 8 after halftime. Blackmon scored 23 points and De’Ron Davis added 15.
“A lot better in the second half, and that was key. He was aggressive, and he was down and active,” IU basketball coach IU Tom Crean said. “I thought what he did better in the second half was he cut when he didn’t have the ball.”
Jordan Bohannon led seventh-seeded Iowa (18-14) with 24 points. The Hawkeyes entered the tournament with a four-game winning streak, including victories over Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin.
Iowa trailed only 43-40 at halftime but was outscored 52-33 over the final 20 minutes.
Indiana went 16 for 30 from the floor and overcame nine turnovers in taking a narrow halftime lead.
The Hoosiers trailed 19-17 before Robert Johnson nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. Long jumpers by Green and Curtis Jones capped a 12-0 run.
“I think we are getting a lot of open shots. Guys are sharing the ball and we are finding our looks. Tomorrow (Friday), it will come down to come down to trying to speed the game up a little bit,” Robert Johnson said.
Bohannon scored 15 points, all on shots from beyond the arc, and Isaiah Moss had five steals to keep the Hawkeyes close.