Hoosiers use second-half surge to defeat Coppin State

The IU men’s basketball team used a 20-4 run to start the second half Saturday afternoon en route to a 73-46 victory over Coppin State.\nThe victory gave the No. 13 Hoosiers their 10th victory of the season and extended their home winning steak to 25 games. IU coach Kelvin Sampson has yet to lose in Assembly Hall.\nThe Eagles arrived in Bloomington during the early hours of Saturday morning after driving from Milwaukee through the night following their loss to Marquette Friday night. However, 10 minutes into the game, the Hoosiers seemed like the team with tired legs, clinging to a mere four-point lead.\n“The first half we were still recovering from the six hour bus ride from Marquette,” Sampson said jokingly after the game. “My bad; that was the other team.”\nCoppin State did not seem like it had spent the night on a bus, as the team played hard from the opening tip until the final second. The Hoosiers struggled early against the Coppin zone, missing open shots and turning the ball over.\nIU went into the locker room leading just 28-26 on 28 percent shooting from the floor. While the Hoosiers struggled from the field, Sampson credited Coppin State for a gritty first-half effort.\n“I’m not sure if that first half won’t be a lesson to us down the road,” Sampson said. “For their kids to come in and play like they did in the first half says a lot about (head coach Ron) ‘Fang’ (Mitchell) and his kids.”\nIU picked up its defensive effort to start the second half, holding Coppin State to 20 points on 30 percent shooting. The improved defensive effort translated into more offensive opportunities, which led to 45 points for the Hoosiers in the second half. \n“We weren’t perfect, but I thought we did better,” senior forward D.J. White said\nD.J. White had a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds. A lot of his baskets came off of penetration from freshman guard Eric Gordon and junior guard Jamarcus Ellis. In the second half, IU did a better job of breaking down the zone defense, Sampson said.\n “Our offense was really good in the second half,” Sampson said. “I didn’t think we had a lot of energy. The second half, we played good. We are good against the zone. Once we spread them and drove them, we got a lot of easy baskets.”\nSenior Mike White had another good outing for the Hoosiers, scoring 10 points and five rebounds in the winning effort. IU is undefeated since Sampson’s decision not to redshirt Mike White following the Xavier game. Mike White has helped the team with his consistent effort, Sampson said. \n“Mike’s greatest attribute is that he is so mature,” Sampson said. “He doesn’t have highs and lows. He’s just solid and that’s why I think he fits so well in our lineup.”\nGordon finished the game with 15 points, but shot just 2-13 from the field. Sampson said he was pleased that Gordon was able to get to the free-throw line and score when his shots were not falling.\n“Today they just didn’t go in,” Sampson said of Gordon’s attempts.