Closing Time

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers let another one slip away.\nAhead 54-41 with just more than 13 minutes left in the game, No. 7 University of Connecticut went on a 17-1 run, taking the lead and never looking back on its way to a 74-69 win in Hartford.\nDespite executing the offense to near perfection for the first time this season, IU struggled down the stretch scoring only seven points in the last 3 minutes, 34 seconds.\n"We got out to a lead early because our offense for the first time this year executed," IU coach Mike Davis said. "With about 13 minutes left in the game, we stopped doing that." \nJunior Bracey Wright did his part to keep the Hoosiers close with 28 points -- 16 in the first half -- six rebounds, four steals and three assists in 39 minutes. \n"It is the best we ran (the offense) this season," Wright said. "We cut hard and got a lot of open looks; everything was opening up for us. We had a lot of good opportunities and made a lot of good plays. You saw us execute for most of the game to a T, exactly how we wanted to do."\nPlaying their second top-10 opponent in four days, the young Hoosiers led early.\nWith 2:35 left in the first half, Wright capped off a 14-4 Hoosier run with a baseline jumper that got the shooter's bounce -- touching every part of the rim and then the backboard -- before falling through.\nWright's high scoring first half helped the Hoosiers to a 38-33 lead heading into the locker room. \nBut the second half ended up a complete reversal of the first. Despite holding a 13-point lead at one time -- the Hoosiers' largest of the game -- IU stopped executing its offense and let the defending national champions back in the game. \n"We kind of got into a hurry a little bit," Wright said. "Early on, when things were breaking down we were patient, and in the flow of our offense. But later we got in a hurry and tried to press things."\nDavis said part of the reason for the slip down the stretch is because of the Hoosiers' youth.\n"It's about 70-30 -- 70 percent them picking up their defense, 30 percent us not being in the situation before," David said. "This is our first road game. This is a top-six team in the country. When you're on the road playing a top-six team, and you don't execute the way you're supposed to, things can happen."\nUConn junior Rashad Anderson led the way for the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds, while junior Denham Brown, sophomore Josh Boone and freshman Rudy Gay each had 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.\nFor Huskies coach, Jim Calhoun, Saturday's game was his 600th as the man in charge of UConn. \nGoing up against a big and tough UConn front line, the Hoosiers' big men struggled early and often. Freshman D.J. White played only eight minutes in the first half because of two fouls. White saw the court for only seven more minutes in the second half, during which he picked up three more fouls, sending him to the bench for good with 2:21 left in the game.\n"I was in and out of the game," White said. "I just couldn't get a flow for the game because I was in and out of foul trouble. But, it happens sometimes."\nSophomore Pat Ewing Jr. also fouled out, with 2:36 left in the game, with zero points in 13 minutes. \nTaking their places was the combination of junior Sean Kline and senior Mike Roberts. The pair scored a combined eight points, but gave the Hoosiers much needed support up front off the bench. \nDavis said Roberts was used because he paired up better with UConn's big men. \n"I thought Mike did a great job," Davis said. "It's all about match-ups with our basketball team." \nWith two games down and four left in the Hoosiers six-games-in-21-days against NCAA tournament teams, the competition for a young IU team is beneficial, junior Marshall Strickland said. \n"I think it's a great experience for the team in general," he said. "Come March we hope that we will see the same teams in the (NCAA) tournament, so going on the road to a place like Connecticut (is a) great game for us. We get better and find out how good we really are."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.