BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —
Cody Zeller didn’t get a chance to carry Indiana on Wednesday night.
Victor Oladipo, Yogi Ferrell and the Hoosiers’ defense took care of it.
With Zeller scoring a career-low two points and failing to make a basket for the first time since arriving in Bloomington, Oladipo finished with 19 points and Ferrell added a season-high 15 to lead the seventh-ranked Hoosiers to a 72-49 rout of Penn State.
“Cody did a lot of other things to impact the game and that’s why he’s such a great player,” Oladipo said. “He might have a slow night today, but he played tremendous defense. He still had 10 deflections and rebounded the ball. Sure we’ve got to step it up a little bit when he plays that, we’ve just got to play together.”
The Hoosiers (17-2, 5-1 Big Ten) did.
After a sluggish start, Indiana shot 58.8 percent in the second half and was 6 of 8 from 3-point range. The team that has been widely panned for its lack of defense, despite being seventh in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, limited Penn State to 33.3 percent from the field.
And while Nittany Lions challenged Zeller anywhere he went on the court, the Hoosiers improvised by finding other options and letting the 7-foot sophomore do the dirty work against extra bodies, extra hands and contested shots. The preseason All-America took only four shots Wednesday, yet finished with eight rebounds, three blocks, three assists and double-digit deflections, a stat coach Tom Crean charts every day.
But there was little for Crean to critique.
“He (Zeller) didn’t really look for that many opportunities to score,” Crean said. “I’m not concerned about that, he will. The one thing he’s got is constant team attention and what I mean by that is that he might be guarded by one person, but everybody knows when he has the ball.”
Zeller’s presence still opened things up for his teammates.
Oladipo was 4 of 7 from the field, 9 of 12 from the free throw line, had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Will Sheehey scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Ferrell, a freshman, came into the game shooting 34.9 percent. He went 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, including two at the start of the second half that helped the Hoosiers take control.
“Yogi did an excellent job tonight shooting the ball,” Crean said. “You could see it yesterday. We had probably the shortest practice of the year yesterday, so we lost some of our rhythm and it hurt us.”
Indiana won its second straight since losing to Wisconsin at home last week, and reasserted both its home-court advantage and its dominance in this lopsided series.
Penn State (8-11, 0-7) dropped to 2-17 all-time in Bloomington.
The Nittany Lions have lost seven straight overall, 12 straight Big Ten road games and lost for the second time to Indiana this season by a 23-point margin.
D.J. Newbill scored 18 points and Jermaine Marshall had 12 to lead Penn State, not nearly enough against the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense.
“I didn’t like our matchups,” coach Patrick Chambers said. “They’re a very talented group and as a coach, you have to do everything you can to help your team try to be successful. We mixed it up. We mixed it up a lot. We played zone, we played man, we disguised the zone, we disguised the man, we did different things and for a while it worked. But again, talent takes over and they start making 3s and that’s what kills you.”
There were other problems, too.
In the first half, the Nittany Lions shot just 29.6 percent from the field, managed only one 3 and matched the 19 points Ball State and Coppin State produced, the second-lowest point total in any half this season against Indiana. Northwestern scored only 17 points in the first half of the Hoosiers’ 67-59 win Sunday.
It could have been even worse as Indiana went 21 of 37 from the free throw line but that didn’t matter Wednesday.
The Hoosiers used runs of 7-0, 8-2 and 12-5 to take a 33-19 halftime lead, then started the second half by turning three straight defensive stops into an 8-0 run that made it 41-19 with 18:55 to play.
Indiana didn’t let Penn State get closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
“It’s a big emphasis on our team, because it seems like everybody in the country doesn’t think we have good second halves,” Oladipo said. “That’s their opinion and that’s fine. That’s what they say. At the end of the day, we’re going to do whatever it takes to finish strong because we’re not trying to beat Penn State, we’re trying to beat everybody in the country.”
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Penn State’s D.J. Newbill go for a loose ball during the second half of Wednesday’s game in Bloomington, Ind. AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Discussion
Indiana pulls away from Penn State
- Local Sports
-
-
Defense attorney: Woman’s death an accident
A defense attorney for a Blair County man charged with homicide in the 1999 death of his daughter-in-law said the woman’s death was accidental.
-
College players dominate Point nominations
Pitt-Johnstown junior Jake Warner was perfect and extremely productive at the plate while earning the first two monthly nominations for the 2013 Point Stadium Award in February and March.
Mount Aloysius sophomore Derrick Capiak nearly reached perfection to take the April nomination. -
Pirates roll past Brewers
Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run over seven strong innings and Neil Walker hit a two-run single as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Rodriguez (4-2) gave up six hits, walking one and striking out five. -
Dupuis coming through for Penguins
Dan Bylsma has been hearing it seemingly from the moment he took over at Pittsburgh Penguins head coach four years ago.
Every time the Penguins hit a rough patch, the murmurs about finding a polished winger to play alongside superstar Sidney Crosby pop up. Bylsma understands the sentiment. It’s just that it’s a little misplaced. -
Penn State guard leaving for pro career
Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall, the team’s second-leading scorer, is foregoing his senior year of eligibility to pursue a professional career overseas.
The team announced the surprise move in a statement Wednesday. The 6-foot-4 Marshall, who is on schedule to graduate this summer, cited his family including a 1-year-old son, in making his decision. -
Penn State coach blasts Sports Illustrated article
Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is fervently disputing suggestions raised in a report that player medical care has been compromised after the team doctor was replaced.
Speaking often in an angry tone that might be otherwise reserved for an argument with an official, O’Brien told reporters in a conference call that the health and safety of his players were his top priorities. -
Penguins advance on overtime goal
Brooks Orpik’s goal would have been memorable even if wasn’t in overtime and didn’t put the Pittsburgh Penguins into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
When you are a defensive-minded defenseman with only 12 goals in nine NHL seasons, they all tend to stand out. -
Liriano key to Pirates' victory
Francisco Liriano finally got to pitch for Pittsburgh and, just like that, the Pirates looked like a much better team.
He struck out nine and the Pirates teed off on New York’s pitching for an 11-2 win over the Mets on Saturday. -
Shade softball thriving on Karl’s watch
Frank Karl coached the majority of the girls who comprise Shade High School’s softball team from the time they played T-ball and coach pitch.
Karl was there when the group, as elementary-school students, once rallied from an 18-run deficit to win a game, and he hoped to be there when the group reached the varsity level. -
MIKE MASTOVICH: Junior put his stamp on tourney
This year, Junior won’t be on the Point Stadium field for the pregame hoopla associated with opening night of the 69th annual AAABA Tournament.
He won’t watch as dozens of Corvettes and hundreds of baseball players enter through the left-field gate with their respective teams from cities such as Baltimore, New Orleans, New Brunswick and Altoona. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
Defense attorney: Woman’s death an accident
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
