Short-Handed Hoosiers Fall to Northwestern, Lose Back-to-Back Games for 1st Time

Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended five players on Tuesday for breaking team rules, and the other half of his team fought gamely against Northwestern, but came up short after fading in the second half, losing 59-51.

Tom Brew | Feb 9, 2022

EVANSTON, Ill. — Forced to play without five suspended players — including its starting backcourt — Indiana came up short against Northwestern on Tuesday, losing 59-51 in a game that puts a serious dent in their chase to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Earlier Tuesday, Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended starting guards Xavier Johnson and Parker Stewart, plus bench players Michael Durr, Khristian Lander and Tamar Bates for the game. The suspensions may not be over either, because Woodson said he wanted to think about it further before determining what comes next.

The cause for the suspensions was not released, and Woodson would not elaborate after the game, calling it an in-house matter.

The cost of the suspensions?

It was substantial.

For instance, with Johnson out, none of Indiana's three points guards were available. Lander was suspended and senior Rob Phinisee is out with a foot injury. That forced sophomore Trey Galloway into an emergency role, and he played well at a position he hadn't played since high school.

Galloway scored nine quick points to get the Hoosiers rolling, and he finished with 13, tying a career high. He was 6-for-10 shooting and had five rebounds and three assists before fouling out. He played all 37 minutes until he was disqualified.

"I did what I had to do, come out and compete with my teammates. I thought we competed at a high level and I'm really proud of my guys,'' Galloway said. "It was unexpected, but you've got to adjust and find ways to win a game. I thought we did that.

"We stuck to our game plan, and the coaches trusted me to make plays. I just wanted to play hard and compete, but we just fell short at the end.''

Indiana (16-7, 7-6 in the Big Ten) lost consecutive games for the first time all season. They were in this one for a long time, too. Indiana played well in the first half, and went to the locker room with a 30-26 lead.

They built the lead to seven early in the second half after a three-pointer by Anthony Leal, who got his second start of the year, and Galloway. But then Northwestern went on a 13-0 run and started to pull away.

Indiana got no closer than three the rest of the way, and fatigue certainly played a factor. The five starters all played at least 34 minutes.

Race Thompson led the Hoosiers with 14 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 13 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 4-for-13 shooting from the field and was just 5-for-9 from the foul line, including a missed front end of a one-and-one when Indiana was down six with 1:55 to go.

Miller Kopp, returning back to Evanston after transferring from Northwestern to Indiana this summer, scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting. Jordan Geronino, the only true bench player, also struggled, going 1-for-5, Leal was also 1-for-5.

Northwestern (12-10, 5-8 in the Big Ten) was led by point guard Boo Buie, who had 18 points.

Woodson was pleased with the effort his got from his six guys. Walk-on Nathan Childress, the seventh, saw three minutes of action, too.

But even after the game, he was still upset with the five players who let this team down on a night very crucial for their tournament chances. They are back squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble now.

"I'm not going to give you all the in-house things, but they broke rules and they were punished for it. If we're going to a team, guys have to obey rules as a team,'' Woodson said. "We have rules, and if you don't obey the rules, things have to happen. I wasn’t going to let them play together. Now we have to regroup and get ready for Michigan State (on Saturday).''

"I don't know if it's a one-game thing or not. I'll think about that on the way home, I thought Trey Galloway played his butt off. I thought all the guys out there played well, but their teammates let them down.''

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