Hoosiers hold off Hawkeyes, claim share of Big Ten lead

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Yogi Ferrell wanted the ball.

After taking blow after blow in the second half from No. 4 Iowa, Ferrell finally found a way to punch back.

The Indiana senior point guard beat the defensive pressure, found open teammates and finished the game by making four consecutive free throws to help the Hoosiers rally for an 85-78 victory Thursday night — after they had blown a 16-point lead.

"I felt like they hit us in the mouth a little bit tonight," Ferrell said. "But against a great team like Iowa, you can't get down and crumble, you've basically got to get up and keep fighting."

He made sure none of the Hoosiers let their guard down after that blown lead. Instead, Indiana (20-5, 10-2 Big Ten) used a 14-2 run to erase a four-point deficit, seized control and moved into a share of the conference lead with the Hawkeyes and No. 2 Maryland.

Ferrell finished with 14 points and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, including two after he took an inadvertent shot to the face.

He also had plenty of help. Four other Indiana players reached double figures, including Troy Williams, who had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Robert Johnson, who had 13 points and four rebounds.

"He wasn't shooting the ball well, but he settled in, made his teammates better," Crean said after reaching 20 victories for the fourth time in eight seasons with the Hoosiers. "That's what he did tonight."

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery also was impressed with Ferrell's play in a game that lived up to its tough-guy billing.

Jarrod Uthoff led the Hawkeyes (19-5, 10-2) with 24 points, Mike Gesell had 17 and Adam Woodbury finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

McCaffery also liked the way his team methodically trimmed the first-half deficit to 45-38 at the half and started the second half on a 9-0 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes.