Indiana's Comeback Falls Short, Buie Seals Northwestern's 64-62 Win

Indiana made a valiant comeback in the second half of Wednesday's game against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but Boo Buie's game-winner sealed a 64-62 victory for the Wildcats.

EVANSTON, Ill. – In the midst of all the chaos, with Indiana and Northwestern chants competing to take over Welsh-Ryan Arena, senior guard Boo Buie slowed things down. 

He dribbled the clock down to about seven seconds – then it was go time. Buie drove to the right side, and with perfect tough, he softly floated the ball over the rim with 2.7 seconds on the clock.

Indiana point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino’s three-quarter-court heave bounced off the rim in near-miraculous fashion, and Indiana’s comeback hopes died as smoke machines fired off behind the basket. Northwestern claimed a 64-62 win on Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and with that, sole possession of second place in the Big Ten.

Buie’s final shot came with a bit of controversy, but Indiana can only blame itself for this loss. Whether Buie traveled or pushed off on Trey Galloway to clear space for his game-winning shot, Indiana can’t spot any opponent a 19-point halftime lead and expect to win, no matter how impressive a comeback it mounted.

"The officials didn't call it, so at the end of the day, Boo made a hell of a shot,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “You have to give him credit.”

It’s hard to believe Indiana had a chance to win on Wednesday based on its first half performance. The Hoosiers shot 6-for-21 in the first 20 minutes, with five points on three shots from Jackson Davis, a 3-for-10 half from Hood-Schifino and a combined 0-for-5 start from Kopp and Tamar Bates. Its coach picked up a costly technical foul, which was followed by four Northwestern free throws. Its defense did no favors, either. 

Indiana turned the ball over on its first two possessions and had five turnovers in the first nine minutes. Northwestern swarmed Jackson-Davis with physical double-teams all night, and Indiana couldn’t figure out how to beat the trap, leading to a 19-point halftime deficit.

“We just got off to such a rocky start on the road,” Woodson said. “And I just thought we were too hyped, pumped for the game. I just didn't see the comfort starting this ball game. It showed, we couldn't make shots and we were throwing the ball all over the gym.”

“Honestly, it's my fault,” Jackson-Davis said. “I wasn't ready to play in the first half, and I didn't get my teammates ready. Being a leader on this team, I've got to be up, I've got to be ready to go and I wasn't. So that first half is on me.”

But with a few crucial halftime adjustments, coupled with renewed intensity and fight, it was a one-possession game in the final minutes.

Sixth-year forward Race Thompson said Indiana watched film at halftime to figure out a way to combat the Wildcats double-teams. Throughout the game, Northwestern trapped Jackson-Davis with its weak-side big man, which opened up Thompson on the opposite block. 

Jackson-Davis and Thompson had a better sense of passing lanes and angles to beat the trap, which helped get Indiana back in the game. Thompson played his first game without a knee brace, and said he was feeling good after the game.

“The double-team is inviting,” Woodson said. “It really is. Trayce struggled to make the passes out of there early on, and I thought in the second half he was dropping passes off where they needed to be dropped. Again, I mean we've seen traps all year, and it's not going to change. We've just got to make the right reads out of it.”

Indiana also began to knock down outside shots, mainly in the opening minutes of the second half. Galloway started the trend, and back-to-back corner 3-pointers from Hood-Schifino and Kopp cut the Northwestern lead to 11 points with 14:47 remaining.

Jackson-Davis racked up 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, four turnovers and two blocks. Thompson added 13 points and didn't miss a shot, and Hood-Schifino finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four turnovers and two assists. It was an off night for Kopp, who shot 1-for-6 against his former team.

After allowing 11 points from Audige in the first half, the Indiana defense limited him to 1-for-9 shooting in the final 20 minutes. Buie was the only Wildcat to score more than five points in the second half, as Indiana leaned on its defense and interior passing to get back in the game.

Following a Hood-Schifino turnover as the clock read 1:11 in the second half, Buie took Kopp off the bounce and scooped a layup over Jackson-Davis’ outstretched arm to give Northwestern a four-point lead.

Hood-Schifino responded to his bad pass with a floater that cut Northwestern’s lead to two points with 34 seconds remaining. With Jackson-Davis guarding the ball, the Hoosiers applied a full-court press. Northwestern’s Robbie Beran tried to sneak a pass through, but Kopp reached around Chase Audige to deflect the pass to Jackson-Davis, who tied the game with an easy dunk.

But in the end, Northwestern made the clutch play it had to down the stretch, and Indiana heads home wishing it didn't dig a 19-point hole at halftime. 

Indiana, now 18-8 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten, returns to Assembly Hall for its next game against Illinois, which tips off at Noon ET on Saturday. The Illini are 17-8 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten play after a 93-81 loss at Penn State on Tuesday. In their first matchup of the season, the Hoosiers won 80-65 behind 35 points from Jackson-Davis.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• 'WE'RE THE BEST BACKCOURT IN THE COUNTRY': Senior guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige led Northwestern to wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana this week, combining for 76 points across the two games. "I think we're the best backcourt in the country," Audige said after the Wildcats 64-62 win over Indiana. CLICK HERE
• COLLINS ON VULGAR CHANS AT KOPP: Following Northwestern's 64-62 win over Indiana, coach Chris Collins commented on the vulgar chants directed at Miller Kopp, who transferred from Northwestern to Indiana before the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Hear from Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson following the No. 14 Hoosiers' 64-62 road loss to Northwestern Wednesday night. Read his full transcript, or just watch the attached video. CLICK HERE
• WHAT JACKSON-DAVIS, THOMPSON SAID: Indiana veteran forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson spoke with the media after a 64-62 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Take a look at 20 photos from Indiana's 64-62 loss at Northwestern. Down by more than 20 points in the first half, the No. 14 Hoosiers barely fell short in a huge second half comeback. CLICK HERE
• WATCH TJD'S SLICK PASS TO THOMPSON Watch this highlight of Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis's pass to fellow forward Race Thompson, who puts it up for two in the Hoosiers' game versus Northwestern. CLICK HERE
• WATCH WOODSON AND HOOSIER BENCH GET TWO TECHNICALS Watch this replay of Indiana basketball's bench and head coach Mike Woodson receiving two technical fouls in the first half of the Hoosiers' matchup with Northwestern Wednesday night. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JORDAN GERONIMO'S DUNK ON WILDCATS Watch this replay of Hoosier forward Jordan Geronimo dunking on Northwestern for the lead Wednesday night. CLICK HERE