Jan 18, 2003

Box Score

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jeff Newton's wake-up call came early Saturday.

The advice from former Indiana teammate Jared Jeffries: Stay aggressive and focused.

Newton followed the plan perfectly, scoring a career-high 28 points, grabbing eight rebounds, blocking five shots and coming up big every time No. 18 Indiana needed him in a 74-66 victory over No. 8 Illinois.

"He told me, `No matter if I missed my first 10 shots, stay aggressive and keep going after those guys,"' Newton said of the call he got from Jeffries, last year's Big Ten player of the year and a first-round pick of the Washington Wizards.

"Jared just told me, `Stay focused, whatever you do, stay focused,"' Newton said. "He said, `If you're playing bad, just keep playing through it."'

Newton didn't have to worry about playing through much adversity Saturday. He was hot from the start, played hard throughout and turned in what may have been his best overall game in four years.

With a national television audience watching him against Illinois' Brian Cook, considered by many the Big Ten's best inside player, Newton proved he was better than Cook - at least in this game.

Newton shot 9-of-17 from the field and 10-of-13 from the foul line. He had three steals, limited Cook to 15 points - 10 fewer than his average - and joined Alan Henderson as the only two players in school history to block 200 shots.

But the most critical component of Newton's game was his aggressiveness.

With Indiana (13-3, 3-1) continually going inside to Newton and George Leach, who finished with eight points and 11 rebounds, the Hoosiers were able to get the Illini's front line into early foul trouble.

After that, it was no match.

"We did a real good job on their perimeter," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "But those inside guys dominated the game, especially Newton."

For Illinois (13-3, 2-2) it was a stark contrast from what they'd expected.

Nearly a year ago, the Hoosiers beat the Illini by setting a conference record with 17 3-pointers. After watching Indiana knock down 13 more 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over Northwestern, the Illini figured they would be in for more long-range shooting.

Instead, Indiana changed the game plan.

With leading scorer Bracey Wright out for the second straight game because of a pinched nerve in his lower back and Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby combining for only seven points, the Hoosiers went to their power game and won.

"When we get the ball to George and Jeff, we want to play inside-out," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. "I thought both guys played well today. For Jeff to come out and score 28 points and play the way he did today is big."

Illinois had no answers.

Self acknowledged that after Newton and Leach blocked a couple of early shots and his players got into foul trouble, it appeared they were hesitant to go back inside. That meant the Illini had to rely on Dee Brown, who finished with 18 points on five 3-pointers and proved the team's only consistent scorer.

But after Brown accounted for back-to-back 3s and gave Illinois an 11-4 lead in the game's opening minutes, the Illini struggled to score and the Hoosiers took advantage.

Hornsby's only basket, a 3-pointer less than four minutes in, and A.J. Moye's block of an alley-oop play ignited Indiana, which went on a 16-3 run to take a 20-14 lead. The Hoosiers never trailed again.

"You have to get up for Cook, he's the top player in the Big Ten right now," Newton said. "So you've got to get up for him."

Clinging to a 36-31 halftime lead, the Hoosiers again called on Newton.

He accounted for half of the Hoosiers' 38 second-half points and was virtually the entire Indiana offense during one stretch. He scored 15 of 18 points as the Hoosiers pulled away for a 60-45 lead with 8:57 to go.

Illinois rallied, closing to 70-66 with 25.9 seconds left, but two free throws by Donald Perry and two more from Newton sealed the Hoosiers' eighth straight home win.