The Indiana Hoosiers avoided an upset bid by Northwestern with a 67-59 win over the Wildcats. Cody Zeller led the Hoosiers with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Christian Watford added 14 points and six boards.
No. 2 Indiana vs. Northwestern final score: Hoosiers hold off Wildcats, 67-59
Indiana holds off Northwestern for a 67-59 win, improving to 4-1 in the Big Ten and 16-2 overall.
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Fifteen minutes into the game, the Hoosiers had jumped out to a 26-9 lead and eventually found themselves ahead, 31-17, at the half thanks to a defense that held the Wildcats to 30 percent shooting in the first half.
The teams, for the most part, traded baskets for a good while in the second half, but Northwestern finally got the lead below double-digits on a Jared Swopshire three-pointer that cut Indiana's lead to 47-39 with just more than eight minutes to play. The Wildcats got within five points in the second half before baskets by Zeller and Jordan Hulls gave the Hoosiers some cushion.
Guard Reggie Hearn was one of the lone bright spots for Northwestern, scoring 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. Jared Swopshire added 13 points and eight rebounds.
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