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White, Gordon help Indiana cruise past Iowa

Jan 24, 2008 - 7:24 AM BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (Ticker) -- Indiana cruised to its 13th consecutive win once again behind the highest scoring duo in the Big Ten.

D.J. White had 19 points and freshman Eric Gordon added 17 as the eighth-ranked Hoosiers routed Iowa, 65-43, in Big Ten Conference action on Wednesday.

Either White or Gordon has led Indiana in scoring for each of its games this season except for one - the Hoosiers' 70-51 win over Kentucky on December 8 when Gordon did not play.

But Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson was happy with his team's defense, as the 43 points were the lowest the Hoosiers have allowed all season.

"Our defense was better tonight," Sampson said. "If you keep working at things and you have good kids you usually improve. It is a good win, our scouting report and how we defended them was good. We are getting better in that area."

The Hoosiers (17-1, 6-0 Big Ten), who had beaten the Hawkeyes by three points in the first matchup this season on January 2, had an easier time in this one - running their home winning streak to 30 games.

It is also the best start for the Hoosiers since the 1975-76 campaign when Indiana began 32-0 en route to a national championship.

"The thing that makes this program so special, I keep saying it because I mean it, is the fans," Sampson said. "You look up and there is 16-17,000 people here every game, every game it's like that. It is a special place because of the fans."

Trailing, 7-5, Gordon scored five points during a 9-0 spurt that put Indiana in front for the remainder of the contest.

The Hoosiers ended the first half on a 9-2 run - capped by a 3-pointer from DeAndre Thomas - that gave them a 37-26 lead at the break.

White had 14 of his points in the first half, while Gordon netted 11 as Indiana shot 59 percent (16-of-27) in the opening 20 minutes.

"It's virtually impossible to guard Gordon on the perimeter and in the open court, and if he's not the best player in the nation then he's one of them," Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said. "And then D.J. White is one of the best post players in the nation."

Indiana maintained its double-digit advantage for the entire second half, leading by at least 17 points for the game's final 10 minutes.

Iowa committed 20 turnovers that led to 31 points for Indiana and the Hawkeyes were outscored, 32-16, in the paint.

"Well, you have to ask yourself, 'Did they cause them or did we make them (turnovers)," Lickliter said. "I'm a believer that if you are on the ball and you stay in a stance and stay focused on the task at hand, you can avoid that."

Tony Freeman had 14 points to lead the Hawkeyes (9-11, 2-5), who have lost seven of their last 10 contests.