IU bested 83-58 by Wake Forest Demon Deacons

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – In a season of firsts, the Hoosiers set the wrong kind of milestone Wednesday.

First road loss.

For the third time in 10 days, the Hoosiers suffered a blowout loss, falling to No. 15 Wake Forest (7-0), 83-58, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The loss drops IU (4-3) to 3-5 all-time in the event and marks the second time it has lost to Wake Forest in the tournament’s nine-year history. In 2003, the Hoosiers lost to the Demon Deacons in similar fashion, suffering a 100-67 defeat.

On Wednesday, the Hoosiers stayed with Wake Forest in the opening minutes, even holding an early lead. But freshman guard Daniel Moore’s made free throw with 11:42 left in the half gave IU its final lead of the game, 18-17.

“We were turning the ball over still, but we were playing more as a team and doing what our assignments were and sticking to the game plan,” said IU freshman guard/forward Malik Story.

The Deacons quickly regrouped and responded with a 12-2 run. By the half, the lead stretched to 16.

“At halftime we said, ‘We can’t have much worse of a finish to a half,’” said IU coach Tom Crean. “We were right in there, executing the game plan, rotating right, getting good shots. We were still turning it over some, but they were too. We were right in the game. But we’re not a team who can deviate from what the plan is.”

Crean declined to go over what exactly went wrong in the game, specifically his defensive strategies, explaining he didn’t want to give out “some dissertation on what we did defensively and what (was said) after the game.”

When asked how he thought his young team handled its first road game, Crean responded with eight choice words.

“I think 26 turnovers tells the story.”

The 26 turnovers were a season-high for the Hoosiers and led to 26 points for the opposition.

Like Notre Dame’s Mike Brey and Saint Joseph’s Phil Martelli, Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio went out of his way to praise Crean and the young Hoosiers after the game. And like the rest of the coaches, Gaudio said his team’s talent and experience were just too much for a rebuilding program.

“They’ll be as good as they can possibly be with (Crean) coaching. ... And they gave us a tough time tonight,” Gaudio said.

In addition to turning the ball over, the Hoosiers struggled with their shooting, hitting 37.7 percent of their field goal attempts and only 54.5 percent (12-22) of their free throws.

“Before we can make strides, we’ve got to learn to compete at a higher level over a longer period of time,” Crean said.

Freshman guard Matt Roth led the Hoosiers with 12 points, becoming the fourth different player in seven games to lead IU in scoring. Malik Story, who started in place of injured freshman Verdell Jones, also scored in double figures with 10.

Crean said his team struggled handling the ball in Jones’ absence. Story, who played some point guard for the second straight game, committed six turnovers. Junior guard Devan Dumes had seven.

Jones, who traveled with the team but did not dress, is day-to-day, according to IU spokesperson J.D. Campbell. Jones suffered a serious head injury against Cornell, and Crean said earlier this week that the team is treating the injury as a concussion.
After losing their third game of the season, the Hoosiers resume action when they take on No. 5 Gonzaga at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Hartford Hall of Fame Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.