Gordon shines as Hoosiers improve to 3-0

For the first four minutes of Tuesday’s game, the No. 8 IU men’s basketball team looked like it would be in for a battle against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.\nThe Seahawks surged to an 18-8 lead at the first media timeout thanks to sloppy turnovers by the Hoosiers and successful offensive sets by UNC-Wilmington.\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson credited UNC-Wilmington for its hard play to start the game, adding his team will have a target on its back because of its high national ranking.\n“They came in ready to play, all these teams do,” Sampson said. “It’s a different deal when you are ranked high. That (game against you) becomes their primary focus.”\nAfter falling behind, Sampson did not try many different line-ups, saying “I’ve always allowed kids to play out of it.”\nThankfully for Sampson, his team did play itself out of the deficit.\nTrailing by 10 with 15 minutes remaining in the first half, IU went on a 31-8 run in 11 minutes en route to a 95-71 victory over the Seahawks. The win extends the Hoosiers’ winning streak at Assembly Hall to 20 games.\nSampson said his team gave its best performance of the year in responding to the early 10-point deficit.\n“I thought there was a 25-minute stretch there, if you take away their start, that’s the best we’ve played all year,” Sampson said. “Our defense continuously caused problems for them. It’s good to see the ball pressure, getting out on the wings.”\nFreshman guard Eric Gordon helped catalyze the Hoosier offense by scoring nine of his game-high 30 points during the IU run. Gordon also contributed on the defensive end, despite picking up two early fouls. \n“Coach just told me to play hard,” Gordon said. “All I had to do was deny the man instead of playing him hard on the ball.”\nSophomore guard Armon Bassett said it wasn’t until the team decided to play hard on the defensive end that the Hoosiers began to take control. \n“Once we decided to start playing, we turned the game around,” Bassett said. “That’s been the story for us the first couple of games. We just need to get off to a good start.”\nBassett scored 19 points on 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Senior forward D.J. White, junior forward DeAndre Thomas and freshman guard Jordan Crawford joined Bassett and Gordon as the five Hoosiers that scored in double digits.\nThe overall play of the Hoosiers was impressive, Seahawks coach Benny Moss said.\n“There aren’t many weaknesses on that team,” Moss said. “They are big; they are strong on the front line. They have great guard play that can not only shoot it, but get to the basket. And then they get after you defensively. When you combine those things, you have one of the best teams in the country.”\nSampson said the adversity in the beginning was good for his team, saying it was another opportunity to improve as the season progresses.\n“We can be good,” Sampson said. “I think every team will present another challenge. All the mistakes we are making early in the year, I see us adjusting to us.”