Crawford sparks Hoosiers off the bench

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A Hoosier shooting guard was a thorn in the side of the Illinois basketball team Thursday night as the No. 14 IU men’s basketball team defeated the Illini 83-79 in double overtime.\nHitting two back-to-back three pointers gave the Hoosier freshman guard 18 points on 7-13 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc. It was an impressive performance for a freshman in a hostile environment.\nBut that stat line didn’t belong to Eric Gordon. It belonged Jordan Crawford.\nGordon was the focus of the Illinois fans and players heading in his first trip to Champaign after de-committing from the Illinois program in Oct. 2006. There was some controversy during pre-game handshakes as Illinois guard Chester Frazier chest-bumped Gordon instead of the traditional handshake.\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said the incident was a non-issue.\n“I think he was hyped,” Sampson said of Frazier. “We didn’t make a big deal of it. It may have shook up E.J., I don’t know.”\nWith Gordon struggling offensively during the first half, Crawford gave the Hoosiers a spark on the offensive side of the court with seven points after checking in midway through the first period.\nThe team didn’t talk about picking Gordon up if he were to struggle with the intense pressure put on by the Illinios student section, the Orange Krush, Crawford said. The Hoosiers knew they could find ways to score even if Gordon, the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 21.8 points per game.\n“We didn’t talk about it as a game plan,” Crawford said. “We just knew there would be times for us to step up and we did.”\nCrawford’s big moment came during the first overtime with the Hoosiers trailing 66-63. The guard hit back-to-back three pointers, propelling the Hoosiers to a 69-66 lead with just 1:53 left in the first overtime.\n“I just had to do what I could for us to win,” Crawford said when asked about the shots.\nIt wasn’t the first time Crawford performed well on the road - he scored 16 points against Minnesota on Jan. 17. Illinois coach Bruce Weber said he knew Crawford could give the Hoosiers an offensive lift.\n“Crawford’s made big shots (this season),” Weber said. “He’s either very hot or very cold. (Today) He made some big shots.”\nCrawford has had an up and down season as he has struggled at times adjusting to the college game. Sampson said in his radio show last Monday that Crawford’s play would be crucial for the team coming down the stretch.\nCrawford said he is becoming more comfortable in the offense as Sampson has instructed the guard to be more assertive in the offensive sets.\n“He says I have to play with freedom,” Crawford said.