Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended five players on Tuesday for breaking team rules, and his team's other half fought hard against Northwestern but fell short after losing the second half 59-51 .
Evanston, Ill. — Forced to play without five suspended players — including its opening backcourt — Indiana fell short against Northwestern on Tuesday, losing 59-51 in a game that was one of their pursuit to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Makes a serious dent.
Earlier on Tuesday, Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended starting guards Xavier Johnson and Parker Stewart, plus bench players Michael Durr, Christian Lander and Tamar Bates, for the game. The suspension may not end either, as Woodson said he wanted to think about it before determining what would happen next.
The reason for the suspension was not released, and Woodson would not elaborate after the game, calling it an internal matter.
suspension cost?
That was enough.
For example, when Johnson was out, none of Indiana's three point guards were available. Lander was suspended and senior Rob Finessey was ruled out with a leg injury. This forced sophomore Trey Galloway to land an emergency role, and he played well in a position he hadn't played in since high school.
Galloway scored nine quick points to advance the Hoosiers, and he finished with 13, tying a career high. He was shooting 6-for-10 and had five rebounds and three assists before being fouled out. He played all 37 minutes until disqualification.
"I did what I had to do, come out and compete with my teammates. I felt like we were competing at a high level and I'm really proud of my people," Galloway said. It was unexpected, but you've got to find ways to adjust and win the game. I thought we did that.
"We stuck to our game plan, and the coaches trusted me to make plays. I just wanted to work hard and compete, but we fell short in the end."
Indiana (16-7, 7-6 in the Big Ten) lost consecutive games for the first time in the entire season. They too were in it for a long time. Indiana played well in the first half and went into the locker room to lead 30-26.
He started seven in the second half after a three-pointer by Anthony Leal, who made his second start of the year, and Galloway. But then Northwestern scored 13-0 and began to back down.
The rest of the way Indiana got no more than three, and fatigue certainly played a factor. The five starters played at least 34 minutes.
Race Thompson led the Hoosiers with 14 points. Trace Jackson-Davis had 13 points and 11 rebounds, but was shooting just 4-for-13 from the field and just 5-for-9 from the foul line, including a one-for-one missed front end from Indiana Included. Had six down with 1:55 to go.
Miller Kopp, returning to Evanston after moving from Northwestern to Indiana this summer, scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting. Jordan Geronino, the only true bench player, also struggled, 1-for-5, Lil was also 1-for-5.
Northwestern (12-10, 5-8 in the Big Ten) was led by point guard Boo Bui, who had 18 points.
Woodson was pleased with the effort he got from his six players. Seventh, walk-on Nathan Childress also saw three minutes of action.
But even after the game, he was still troubled by the five players who let this team down on a night very crucial to their tournament chances. They are now completely back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
"I'm not going to give you all the inner stuff, but they broke the rules and they got punished for it. If we're going to be a team, people have to follow the rules as a team," Woodson said. said. "We have rules, and if you don't follow the rules, things are bound to happen. I wasn't going to let them play together. Now we have to regroup and get ready for Michigan State (on Saturday) Is.''
"I don't know if it's a game thing or not. I'll think about it on the way home, I thought Trey Galloway played his butt off. I thought everyone there played well, but his teammates knew Gave them down.