Late defensive stands hold off Buckeyes in Hoosier win

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two big steals down the stretch by sophomore Bracey Wright allowed IU to pull out another road win in the Big Ten against Ohio State 69-61, Tuesday at Value City Arena.\nThe Hoosiers (9-6, 3-1 Big Ten) converted 10-12 free throws down the stretch to withstand a late Buckeye run. Wright led the Hoosiers with 28 points and IU sophomore Marshall Strickland finished with 19.\n"I think I got a lot of good looks," Wright said. "At the end of the first half, I had eight, and they went to the box-and-one the last three or four minutes. The biggest thing I was trying to do was not force anything. In the second half, I got going. I got to the foul line a lot later and made all my shots, but one."\nWith 1:40 remaining, Wright came up with a loose ball and was fouled. He converted both free throws to push the IU lead to five.\nBut IU started to succumb to the Ohio State press. The Buckeyes (9-8, 1-2) forced six turnovers in the final minutes, but could only turn them into three points.\n"What can we do? We're just throwing it away," IU coach Mike Davis said. "It's not like they're doing anything to us. It's just being casual with the ball, guys not breaking to open spots. We're going to have to continue to work on it, and I don't know how you work on it unless you put them in there with a clock, and being up three and letting the white team have six guys to try to trap them."\nWright came up with another steal and again, converted two free throws to push the lead to eight with 26.8 seconds to go.\nLast year, the Hoosiers were only able to win one road game on their way to an 8-8 record in the Big Ten. This year, IU has two wins in its first three tries. Senior forward A. J. Moye said the team is finally listening to Davis.\n"I think everybody's buying into it," Moye said. "Everybody's totally solid in what coach is preaching. I just think it was a matter of time."\nOhio State took the lead at the 11:47 mark when sophomore center Terrence Dials converted on two free throws. Dials finished with a team-high 19 points.\nIU reclaimed the lead for good at the 7:54 mark on two Strickland free throws. IU's defense held the Buckeyes to only four field goals the rest of the way. IU held Ohio State to less than 40 percent shooting for the game.\n"We're realizing what it takes to win defensively," Moye said.\nIU trailed by three early on, but went on a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take an 11-point lead with 6:07 remaining. The Buckeyes would close the half with a 9-2 run to pull them within four, 26-22. Strickland led the Hoosiers with 10 points on 4-5 shooting and three assists in the first half.\nAlthough the Hoosiers struggled on the road early in the season, they have won two straight road games -- three overall. Strickland said the strength of the pre-conference schedule is starting to pay off. He hopes the momentum will carry over in the next game.\n"I think we can't get enough of those games," Strickland said. "We've been tested…I think the guys are really on the same page right now. We're a tough team to play against."\n-- Contact staff writer Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.