Saint Lewis

Ohio State dared Lewis Monroe to beat them. And that's precisely what happened.\nThe Buckeyes served the senior transfer a virtual slap to the face when they barely guarded him on defense, often leaving him open to double team fellow Auburn transfer Marco Killingsworth. But Monroe swung back in the second half, serving Ohio State a knockout blow with 11 points and five assists in the final period.\n"I told Lewis, I said, 'it's time for you to play man, show people what you can do,'" Killingsworth said. "He was hitting shots, passing and rebounding. He played really well for us."\nIt didn't take long for Monroe to show people what he could do. IU's first three possessions of the second half all resulted in made 3-pointers and all were assisted by Monroe. The point guard even chimed in, knocking down two of his own threes. All in all, Monroe either scored or assisted six of IU's seven second-half threes.\n"I thought Lewis Monroe played his best basketball game," IU coach Mike Davis said. "That is the Lewis Monroe we expect to play every game."\nMonroe had spent the majority of the season playing in the shadows of the other Auburn transfer. While Killingsworth was gaining national attention as one of the country's best big men, Monroe posted one quiet night after another. Despite ranking third in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio, Monroe seemed to garner more attention for what he wasn't doing -- attacking the basket.\nBefore Saturday's game, Monroe had never scored more than 10 points in a game and had more free throws (16) than field goals (14). And the first half against Ohio State appeared to be nothing short of the same old Lewis Monroe -- quiet and nonthreatening.\n"No one knows how good Lewis is except for us," Davis said. "I talked to him at halftime and told him to be a man and step up and make some plays. We know how good he is, but the fans and media don't know."\nThe fans and media alike got a first hand look at how good Monroe can be as the 6-5 point guard blossomed before their eyes in the second half Saturday. Monroe peaked just inside of 10 minutes when he attacked the basket, drawing extra Buckeye defenders. Monroe then effortlessly swung the ball behind his back finding Killingsworth unattended under the basket.\n"(Killingsworth) hasn't seen that in so long, I think he wasn't even expecting it," Monroe said.\nDuring the very next trip up the court, Monroe stood outside the arc as his defender backed off, expecting a feed to the post. The senior stepped to the 3-point line and fired a shot that put the Hoosiers up by two. \nThe fitting end to Monroe's evening came with a minute-and-a-half left, when Monroe tied the game at the free throw line. At a moment where the Lewis Monroe of the first half might have passed away an opportunity to drive, Monroe aggressively penetrated the defense and drew a foul that tied the game and sent Ohio State's Matt Sylvester to the bench with five fouls.\nAfter a first half worth forgetting, Monroe finally fought back and helped the Hoosiers attain yet another NCAA Tournament resume-booster.\n"Tonight the best thing to happen to (Monroe) was that they did not defend him," Davis said. "That is like an insult to a player when you do that"