Despite an incredible 25-8 run to start off the second half of play Wednesday night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Indiana dug too big of a hole to successfully pull off the comeback against Nebraska.
“We played great the second half to get back in it to cut it to three, but we had no defensive effort I thought the first half,” Mike Woodson said in the postgame press conference. “We just weren't up to touch. They made some tough threes, but you can't have halves like that.”
The 85-70 loss to the Cornhuskers marks the third consecutive loss at home. Indiana has nearly lost more games at home this season than both of Woodson’s first two seasons combined. It’s been a season of frustration with the Hoosiers barely above the .500 mark after falling to 14-12 after their defeat.
Nebraska started off hot in Bloomington, building up 22 points before the under 12:00 timeout while nailing six triples. Indiana seemed to start folding right after the Cornhuskers’ masterclass as they continued to fall behind. The Indiana faithful began to boo their Hoosiers off the floor as they ran into the halftime locker room down 51-31.
“I can't worry about that,” Trey Galloway said in the postgame press conference. “I got to worry about helping my team, and we got to be focused on each other and can't worry about the outside noise. Just be a unit and stick together.”
It seemed as if Indiana gained their second wind to start the second half. Sophomore CJ Gunn stepped up in a big way, putting down two threes in a matter of two minutes to send Assembly Hall into a frenzy.
The Indiana crowd was buzzing. It was the loudest the arena had been in a long time. The players seemed to be picking up the intensity, cutting the deficit to three.
But that was the closest Indiana would come for the rest of the contest.
“We played well enough this year in spurts, but not well enough to complete ball games. That's what makes it frustrating,” Woodson said in the postgame press conference.
The faces on the Hoosiers as they walked off the court were telling of the kind of season they’ve had. Many looked completely defeated. Boos once again rained down on top of Indiana following the 15 point loss.
With just five games left before the Big Ten Tournament commences, things continue to look down on the Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions are up next on the schedule for Indiana as they will travel to the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State will be coming off the heels of their shocking victory over the 12th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and look to complete their season sweep over the Hoosiers.
