Wisconsin escapes with big victory over Hoosiers

IU probably didn't deserve as many chances as it had to win last night against Wisconsin. The Hoosiers probably had their worst defensive performance of the season, and even though they shot the ball well, IU struggled on the offensive end when it counted.\nStill, in the last two minutes, the Hoosiers had several chances to make up a three-point lead. A 14-foot jumper by Dane Fife with 1:59 left pulled the Hoosiers to within one at 64-63. That was it for the scoring. \nIU had three more possessions to make up the one-point deficit, but the Hoosiers couldn't convert on any of them and after Tom Coverdale's three-pointer at the buzzer missed, IU fell to the Badgers, 64-63 before 17,456 at Assembly Hall.\nCoverdale led the Hoosiers with 17 points. Jarrad Odle had his third straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Fife had 11 and A.J. Moye had 10. For Wisconsin, Charlie Wills had 17 points and Devin Harris had 16. \nThe win is the first for Wisconsin in Bloomington since Feb. 24, 1977. The loss snapped the Hoosiers' 10-game home winning streak that started at the end of last year. IU falls back into a first-place tie with Ohio State in the Big Ten standings with the 22nd ranked Hoosiers (16-8, 8-3) hitting the road for three out of their next four before ending the regular season at home March 2 against Northwestern.\nAlthough the loss makes the road to a Big Ten Championship much more difficult, Mike Davis took the game in stride, pointing out his team is still in first place.\n"I told our guys before the game, win or lose, we're still in first place," Davis said.\nOne key that was missing for the Hoosiers last night was Jared Jeffries, who did not play while nursing an ankle injury. It ended Jeffries' consecutive starts streak at 57. Jeffries is probable for Sunday's game at Michigan.\nMore than any offense, IU was in need of more defense, especially in the first half. The Badgers shot over 48 percent from the floor for the game, including 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half.\n"We knocked some shots down," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "We were more open on the shots. The reads were a little better on the timing of the passes."\nDavis said he was shocked by the first-half defense that allowed 40 in the first half for the second time this season.\n"Our focus in the first half was not where it should have been," Fife said. "They really jumped on us."\nThe Hoosiers trailed throughout before rallying to tie the game at 61 on a three-pointer by Fife with 4:20 to play, tying the game for the first time since 7-7 early in the first half. After misses by both teams, Kirk Penney used a screen by Wills to knock down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Badgers a three-point lead with 2:18 lead.\n" We just ran a play that you can get a lot out of. The three was open in my eyes, so I let it fly," Penney said.\nAnother jumper by Fife, this time in the lane, moved IU to within one with 1:59 to play at 64-63. Coverdale was called for a foul, but after Wisconsin inbounded the ball Mike Wilkinson was called for traveling. \nCoverdale missed a shot in the lane on the Hoosiers' next possession but the Badgers couldn't score on their next possession either, giving IU the ball with 43 seconds left. But a miscommunication led to Jeff Newton throwing a pass intended for Coverdale out of bounds.\n"We were playing as hard as we possibly could and giving it our all. Down the stretch we were switching on everything and it worked out," Penney said.\nThe Hoosiers fouled Devin Harris and he missed the front end of a one-and-one with 23 seconds left, but Wilkinson got the rebound and IU now fouled Travon Davis. Davis also missed the front end of a one-and-one.\nOn the Hoosiers' next possession Fife missed a jumper and on the rebound, Newton and Wills got tangled up underneath the basket. Both had their hands on the ball before Newton appeared to be thrown to the ground. Official Tom Rucker, who was on top of the play, didn't make a call. Eventually, possession was awarded to the Hoosiers with 1.9 seconds left.\nAfter two timeouts by Davis, Kyle Hornsby inbounded to Coverdale in front of the IU bench. Coverdale's three-pointer over Wilkinson ricocheted off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.\nDavis said he wanted to get a layup for Newton off the inbounds, but Coverdale was the second option. Obviously, Wisconsin was ready.\n"We tried to take away any easy lob and then fly at the shooter," Ryan said. "With 1.9 it's one dribble and a shot. We figured we'd fly at him. It didn't get touched, but he had to arch it a little more."\nDavis liked the shot and said his team can learn from those types of situations.\n"He got a good look," Davis said of Coverdale. "Wilkinson did a good job of contesting the shot. It should help us in the next situation when the game gets close."\nIn the first half, the Badgers played well and after a couple of 6-0 runs by Wisconsin, the Badgers grabbed their largest lead of the first half at eight with just over 10 minutes left before halftime. IU got to within two at 21-19 two minutes later, but would fall behind by eight again before ending the half trailing 40-35.\nThe Hoosiers stepped up the defense in the second half, but it was too late. Although some calls down the stretch were not well accepted by the home fans, Fife said the Hoosiers have put themselves in a hole on their own.\n"We had the whole game to beat Wisconsin," Fife said. "Now our backs are against the wall as far as the championship in our minds. I guess we just didn't deserve to win"