BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Collin Hartman dug in Monday night and gave the Indiana Hoosiers everything they needed.
He scored 13 points, played defense and helped spur two decisive runs.
On a night Juwan Morgan scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, it was Hartman’s continual plays that finally allowed the Hoosiers to pull away for a 77-64 victory over Iowa.
“That lineup with him and Juwan was a really big key in the first half and I thought it was a really big key in the second half of regrouping us,” coach Archie Miller said. “I give him a lot of credit in terms of his spunk, his attitude.”
Hartman, a fifth-year senior, was a key player on Indiana’s Big Ten championship team two years ago.
But after missing all of last season with an injured left knee and the first five games this season with ankle and groin injuries, Hartman finally got a chance to show what he could still do when healthy.
He made 4-of-9 from the field, was 3-of-6 on 3-pointers, grabbed five rebounds, had two assists and one steal to help the Hoosiers (5-4, 1-1) snap a two-game losing streak and give Miller his first conference win.
“I think we are coming together as a team, learning from film sessions,” Hartman said. “And I think a lot of guys are buying in and part of that is the older guys (buying in).”
Hartman had plenty of help.
Morgan finished with his second double-double in six games, De’Ron Davis added 13 points and Devonte Green had 12 points and four assists.
But the difference was defense.
Indiana forced Iowa (4-5, 0-2) into a season-high 18 turnovers and routinely turned the miscues into points.
The Hoosiers forced six turnovers in less than 5½ minutes, breaking a 20-20 tie with 14 straight points.
Iowa charged back from a 41-26 halftime deficit with a 13-1 spurt early in the second half to close to 43-42.
But the Hoosiers refused to let the Hawkeyes tie the score or take the lead and eventually regained control thanks to more Hawkeyes mistakes. Indiana turned those into an 18-0 run that made it 71-50 with 7:15 left in the game.
“We missed some shots, the big turnover there after the one timeout, that was a big play in the game I thought,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “They kept the pressure on. We had some consecutive misses and they run on those pretty well.”
The Hawkeyes never challenged again and wound up losing their third straight.
Brady Ellingson had 16 points and Jack Nunge had 12 to lead Iowa.
