Lost opportunities hurt No. 11 Hoosiers

MADISON, Wis. - IU coach Kelvin Sampson had one reason why his No. 11 Hoosiers fell to No. 13 Wisconsin on Thursday night.\n“It seemed like every time we had a chance to get the lead down to six or five we couldn’t finish,” Sampson said.\nThere was no bigger chance for the Hoosiers than a trip to the free throw line from senior forward D.J. White.\nThe Hoosiers scrapped and clawed their way from a 20-point deficit, cutting the Wisconsin lead to 50-43 on the strength of a 17-6 run sparked by strong defense and scoring from freshman guard Eric Gordon.\nTrailing by seven with 6:08 left in the contest, White stood on the free throw line with the chance to cut the Wisconsin lead to five. White missed the first free throw of a one-and-one, stopping the momentum of the Hoosier run.\nThe senior forward buoyed the Hoosiers for most of the game while his teammates struggled, leading the Hoosiers with 22 points and 17 rebounds, but reflected on the missed free throw after the game.\n“We didn’t capitalize on our chances,” White said. “I missed a front end of a one-and-one, Armon came down a had a wide open three. Shots just didn’t fall.”\nMissed opportunities were the theme of the game for the Hoosiers (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten). IU fell to fourth place in the Big Ten with the loss. Wisconsin moved into a three-way tie for first place with Michigan State and Purdue, all three teams boasting a 7-1 conference mark.\nSampson pointed to the missed free throw as a crucial turning point in the game.\n“I thought a key part of the game was, after we were down by 20 and cut it to seven with a chance to get it to five and D.J. White was at the line with a one-and-one,” Sampson said.\nIU never recovered from the free throw miss as the Badgers capitalized down the stretch and ultimately cruised to a 12-point victory. Gordon, who scored 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting, was unable to regain the scoring touch he discovered during IU’s 17-6 run in the second half.\nSampson said he wants Gordon to drive to the basket more in key situations, something the star freshman has gone away from in the last few games.\n“The thing he (Gordon) has to start getting better at, that he was really good at earlier in the year, is that he has to return to getting to the free throw line,” Sampson said. “Because he can.”\nSampson said the team can build on this game as he was happy with the player’s effort despite a poor shooting night. Next time, Sampson said, the Hoosiers will have to make the key plays at the right time like the Badgers did Thursday night.\n“Our defense was good tonight,” Sampson said. “In critical situations, they were better than us. When they needed a critical basket, they got it.”