Hoosiers Survive Scare, 84-79

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Brian Evans and Ryan Williams each scored 23 points and No. 23 Indiana struggled past AlaskaAnchorage 84-79 Thursday night in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

The Seawolves refused to let a taller, stronger, faster Hoosiers team intimidate them. They kept the outcome in doubt until the final seconds, when Indiana’s Todd Lindeman grabbed his missed free throw and hit a jumper at the buzzer.

Indiana today plays the winner of the Duke-Old Dominion game, and Alaska-Anchorage plays the loser.

Williams scored 15 points in the first half for the Seawolves, and guard Rick Stafford finished with 20.

Indiana never led by more than 11, and Alaska-Anchorage was able to tie the score with 6-1/2 minutes left on Jim Hajdukovich’s 3-pointer.

But every time the Seawolves managed a run, Evans or Hoosiers guard Neil Reed would quiet the home crowd from the perimeter. Reed finished with 19 points, including four 3-pointers.

Indiana began the game by scoring seven straight points as the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves looked like their Division II selves.

But about 4 minutes into the game, the Seawolves started playing way over their heads, taking rebounds from Hoosiers half a foot taller and moving the ball inside.

The Hoosiers had the most trouble with the 6-foot-7 Williams, who drove inside throughout the game.