BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)—A.J. Ratliff scored 14 points and Armon Bassett added 11 as Indiana survived a defensive struggle to beat Southern Illinois 57-47 Sunday.
The Salukis (7-2) were led by Jamaal Tatum with 17 points. Entering the game with the nation’s second-best scoring defense, Southern Illinois demonstrated how it got that ranking by forcing the Hoosiers to run their offense from way outside.
The Hoosiers (6-3) responded in kind by forcing 20 turnovers, making Southern Illinois continually shoot off balance and getting the Salukis into foul trouble. But Indiana struggled to pull away because of 19-of-31 free-throw shooting.
Southern’s smothering defense had an immediate impact as the Hoosiers missed eight of their first nine shots and fell into an 11-3 deficit.
The Hoosiers got going with a 15-4 run that gave them an 18-15 lead with 3:07 left in the first half.
Tatum almost single-handedly kept Southern Illinois close, and when Bryan Mullins hit a 5-foot runner with 3.5 seconds left, the Salukis had a 23-22 halftime lead.
The Hoosiers took control midway through the second half. Indiana rallied from a 34-30 deficit with a 7-1 run, then broke a 39-39 tie by scoring 12 straight points to make it 51-39.
Southern Illinois went nearly 10 minutes without a basket during that stretch, sealing its fate.
