Feb. 14, 1998

Indiana Tops Northwestern 73-55

Game Stats

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Once again, Andrae Patterson came out of hiding in the second half.

Held to just two points in the opening period, Patterson scored Indiana's first 12 points after the break and finished with 20 as the Hoosiers beat Northwestern 73-55 on Saturday.

Patterson also had 21 of his season-high 27 points in the second half on Tuesday in a loss at No. 8 Purdue. This time, the Hoosiers (17-7, 8-4 Big Ten) were able to build on their lead in the final period and were never threatened.

Northwestern (9-13, 2-10), which has lost to Indiana 19 straight games, cut an early 15-point deficit to six at halftime. But Patterson, who hit only one of four shots in nine minutes in the first half, hit six straight baskets as the Hoosiers built their lead to 45-33 in the first seven minutes of the final period.

Patterson took a rest on the bench then, but two fast-break dunks by A.J. Guyton and a 3-pointer by Luke Jimenez pushed Indiana's lead to 18. When Patterson returned, he hit another basket and four straight free throws before his first miss, a 3-point attempt, with 5:50 remaining. By that time, Indiana's lead was 23 points, and he retired to the bench a minute later.

Guyton added 17 points and Michael Lewis had 14 for the Hoosiers. Northwestern was led by Evan Eschmeyer and Sean Wink with 15 points apiece and Napoleon Harris with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Eschmeyer, the Big Ten scoring and rebounding leader, had 12 points in the first half but managed only three free throws in the second period. He did not even take a shot in the second half until the final minute.

Indiana, which has never lost to Northwestern in Assembly Hall, threatened to make it a rout from the beginning. The Wildcats missed their first eight shots, while Guyton scored the first three baskets during a 10-0 run in the first five minutes.

The Hoosiers stretched the lead to 17-4 before Northwestern's rebounding advantage began paying off.

Eschemeyer, who finished with 10 rebounds, had eight in the first half. His 3-point play midway through the opening period brought Northwestern within six points, then after Indiana rebuilt the lead to 26-11, Eschemeyer had five points and Wink hit three 3-pointers as the Wildcats pulled to 30-27.

A 3-pointer by Guyton with six seconds left pushed the Hoosiers' lead to 33-27 at halftime.