BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Archie Miller was relieved to get a win Wednesday.
What transpired along the way still concerns Indiana’s coach.
Trayce Jackson-Davis made the tiebreaking free throws with 1:57 left then punctuated the late comeback with an alley-oop dunk to help Indiana close out a 66-62 victory over Northwestern.
“We were not very together, not very energized early and it took urgency and it took desperation to sort of kick us into gear,” Miller said. “Once it got going, I thought we played a little harder.”
That much was evident over the final 12 minutes as Miller watched Indiana’s improved effort change the game — and perhaps the season.
The Hoosiers (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) snapped a two-game losing streak, earning their first victory since Dec. 21 and posting their largest victory margin in a non-overtime game since Dec. 3.
It was almost exclusively thanks to Jackson-Davis, Justin Smith and Aljami Durham, who bailed the Hoosiers out of another bad shooting night.
Jackson-Davis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, Smith added 18 points and six rebounds and Durham had 16 points and four assists. The other eight players were 4 of 25 from the field with 11 points and five assists.
“We were definitely lacking some energy,” Smith said. “Why, I couldn’t tell you. I just think it’s kind of, we need to be more engaged going into it.”
For much of the game, Northwestern (5-9, 0-4) took advantage of the Hoosiers miscues.
The Wildcats rallied from a 10-point first-half deficit to take a 34-31 halftime lead. Eight minutes into the second half, Northwestern was up 50-40 and seemed to be rolling.
But when Miller turned up the defensive pressure, the young, short-handed Wildcats buckled and the Hoosiers responded in full force.
Indiana scored 10 straight to tie the score and when Northwestern retook a five-point lead with 7:38 left, Smith scored the next five for Indiana. Jackson-Davis added six more in the final two minutes to seal it.
Pat Spencer had 15 points, five assists and four rebounds to lead the Wildcats, who have lost five straight. A.J. Turner and Miller Kopp each scored 12.
