Hoosiers collapse in final three minutes

MINNEAPOLIS -- The disappearance of a 13-point lead against Minnesota wasn't a huge mystery after IU's 78-74 loss to the Gophers. The only question is who's to blame.\nInterim head coach Mike Davis said fingers should be pointed his way.\n"We did a great job except for the last three minutes of the game, when we fell apart, and I'll take full responsibility for that," Davis said.\nFreshman guard A.J. Moye said the blame lies on the players.\n"There's nowhere else to point the fingers at except the players," Moye said. "It's our fault. It's not the coaching staff's fault. Coach Davis has done a great job getting ready, but we don't finish. Bottom line, we don't close it out."\nStatistical Differences\nThere are some statistical reasons Minnesota (15-3, 3-2 Big Ten) prevailed. Minnesota scored 20 points off 12 IU turnovers in the second half and overtime. That's almost half of the Gophers' 45 points in the final 25 minutes. Meanwhile, Minnesota turned the ball over only nine times, just once in the second half.\nIU (11-8, 2-3 Big Ten) made only two-of-15 three-pointers. That dropped the Hoosiers to 23 percent shooting from behind the arc during conference play. Before the Big Ten season started, IU made 41 percent of its three-point shots.\nGuards go off\nBefore IU traveled to Minneapolis, Davis said the Hoosiers would attack the Gophers inside with junior forward Kirk Haston and freshman forward Jared Jeffries. They combined for 27 points. But it was IU's guards who provided the majority of the scoring, a rarity this season for IU.\nSophomore guard Kyle Hornsby scored 14 off the bench while starters sophomore Tom Coverdale and junior Dane Fife scored 12 points each. Combined, they averaged just 12 points during the previous Big Ten games.\n"Our guards played well, and they scored," Davis said.\nBig Boys\nIU set a season record by blocking 11 of Minnesota's shots. Jeffries had five, Haston three and sophomore forward Jeffrey Newton two. Moye also recorded one block. The previous season high was eight against South Alabama. The three forwards also combined for 27 of IU's 45 rebounds. The Gophers grabbed 36, led by Dusty Rychart with 16.\nNewton's return\nAfter sitting out the Penn State game Wednesday, Newton returned to the starting lineup. He scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds in 34 minutes of play. Davis said it was one of Newton's better games. Newton said he has a better appreciation for playing time.\n"When you sit out, you realize how valuable those minutes really are," Newton said. "I was ready to go back out there and give it my all."\nJunior forward Jarrad Odle, who also did not play against Penn State, did not see action in Saturday's game.\nQuotable\nMoye: "You can't expect them to roll over and play opossum. You have to kick them while they're down."\nMinnesota's Kerwin Fleming: "We sensed their fear and that made us work even harder to create more turnovers"