IU victory continues home winning streak

So what if the IU men’s basketball team didn’t match its scoring average during its game against Iowa on Wednesday night? \nThe way their defense played, the Hoosiers didn’t need that many points. \nThe No. 7 Hoosiers allowed fewer points to Iowa than any other opponent this season during their 65-43 win against the Hawkeyes Wednesday at Assembly Hall. \nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said he was “proud” of his team’s defensive effort. \n“We’re getting better in that area,” he said after the game. “Whatever happens is a by-product of our defense and our rebounding.”\nFreshman guard Eric Gordon led the Hoosiers defensively with four steals and three blocks in the win. The Hoosiers forced 20 turnovers overall, while the Hawkeyes made just 15 shots in the game. Iowa shot 34.1 percent from the field, compared to IU’s 53.2 percent mark.\nIU limited Iowa to 17 points in the second half on 21.4 percent shooting.\nWith its win against Iowa, IU won its second game to sweep the season series. The Hoosiers (17-1, 6-0) beat the Hawkeyes (9-11, 2-5) 79-76 to open conference play on Jan. 2 in Iowa City, Iowa.\nIU senior forward D.J. White attributed the defensive swing to a good film session approaching Wednesday’s game.\n“We were more aware of what they were doing,” White said after the game, adding that the team focused on defending Iowa’s ball screens.\nWhite led the Hoosiers in scoring with 19 points and grabbed four rebounds in the game. Gordon added 17 points in the win. \nIU’s previous defensive low came against Coppin State during a 73-46 win in December. \nThe win stretched IU’s home winning streak to 29 consecutive games. Its last loss came on Feb. 11, 2006, when the Hawkeyes topped IU 70-67.\nIU had a hard time separating itself from the Hawkeyes in the first half. Though the Hoosiers were always in command of the game, their only double-digit lead in the first half came when junior forward DeAndre Thomas sunk a short jumper to beat the buzzer and send his team into the locker room with a 37-26 lead. \nIU’s 37 first-half points were more than conference rival No. 10 Michigan State scored all game against the Hawkeyes when the two met in Iowa City earlier this month. Iowa handed the Spartans a 43-36 loss, Michigan State’s second on the year.\nWhite led all scorers in the first half with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the opening frame. The Hoosiers were buoyed by a favorable 10-5 first-half assist-to-turnover ratio while Iowa posted just four assists to 11 turnovers. \nIt took a while for the Hoosiers to pour it on the Hawkeyes – IU picked up five turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the second half – but once IU’s offense started rolling, it put the game out of reach. A flurry of scoring and defensive stops increased IU’s lead to 19 points at about the 9 minute mark in the second half. A few minutes later, the Hoosiers increased the margin to 20.\nIn total, IU posted 13 assists to 14 turnovers, while Iowa had six assists and 20 turnovers.\n“I still think this team’s going to continue to improve,” Sampson said.