Hoosiers drop fourth game in a row, 7 of last 8
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern used clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to defeat IU 63-59 Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern (13-12, 7-6 Big Ten) made 13 of 15 freethrows in the final 4:38 to seal the victory. The Wildcats only made one field goal in that span, and the Hoosiers were able to cut it to two points with 3.1 seconds remaining. But it was not enough, and IU (12-13, 6-8) is now in the midst of a four-game losing streak. "It's tough when you keep coming up two or three points short every time," sophomore guard Bracey Wright said. "The biggest thing we can't do right now is give up. I'm glad that we didn't, and for however many games left we're going to have, we've got to fight to the end." IU trailed 32-22 at the half, but went on a 17-7 run to open the second half. The Hoosiers tied up the game at 39 a piece with 11:35 left when sophomore guard Marshall Strickland hit a three-pointer. The Wildcats would stretch their lead to as many as eight, but the Hoosiers wouldn't go away.
