It only took 40 years, but Wildcats finally beat Indiana in Bloomington
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Northwestern waited more than four decades to win in Bloomington.
So imagine how it felt when the futility ended Wednesday night.
Craig Moore scored 17 points and Michael Thompson had 16, and the Wildcats pulled their starters in the closing minutes, putting away Indiana 75-53 for the school's first-ever victory at Assembly Hall.
It was a long time coming.
The Wildcats (15-11, 6-9 Big Ten) had lost 33 straight on the Hoosiers' home court, 35 in a row in Bloomington, and their last at Indiana came in 1968. After all that, and enduring some rugged moments Wednesday, they made this one look easy.
Indiana (6-21, 1-14) was led by Kyle Taber, who scored a career-high 12 points. Nick Williams had 11.
But the Hoosiers were outplayed by Northwestern's defense, committing 17 turnovers, and were outscored 24-12 over the final 12 minutes.
At times, it got physical. Craig Moore and Williams drew double technicals in the second half, and Moore crumbled to the ground when Indiana's Tom Pritchard was called for a moving pick. In the first half, Indiana guard Devan Dumes grabbed his right shoulder, wincing in pain after a tussle with Northwestern players, but continued to play.
To the Wildcats, it didn't matter. They were on a mission, one that the short-handed Hoosiers could not derail.
At first, it looked like it would be just another typical Indiana-Northwestern game as the Hoosiers opened by making 7 of 12 shots and broke to a 15-7 lead.
After that, though, it was all Northwestern.
The Wildcats scored 10 straight points to take a 26-20 lead late in the first half, and still led 30-25 at halftime.
They fended off Indiana's early second half rally, too. When Daniel Moore put in a layup with 14:28 to go, the Hoosiers were back within 41-39.
But Northwestern turned to its 3-point shooters and strong defense, and the Hoosiers cracked.
The Wildcats hit four 3s during a 20-4 run, giving Northwestern a 61-45 lead with 5:52 remaining.
Indiana never challenged again, and Northwestern closed it out at the free-throw line.