BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s safe to say Nick Zeisloft found his shooting stroke.
The senior guard made five consecutive 3-pointers, including four in a row over 134 seconds in the opening half of Indiana’s 70-63 win against Minnesota Saturday afternoon. It was a sudden return to form for Zeisloft, who had started Big Ten play connecting on just 5-of-29 attempts from long range.
And it was exactly what Indiana needed to avoid an upset.
Zeisloft heated up right after Minnesota (6-12, 0-6) pulled away to a nine-point lead midway through the first half and pulled Indiana (15-3, 5-0) within one point by the end of his personal 12-4 run against the Gophers.
He hit from long range again in the second half to give Indiana a 46-44 lead with 13:35 left, an advantage the Hoosiers would hold onto the remainder of the game.
The Golden Gophers had the better of the Hoosiers early on, taking away layups and offense off the kick and drive throughout the majority of the first half. As the game went along, lanes began to open more frequently and Indiana took advantage.
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell led IU with 20 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He finished with seven assists, surpassing Quinn Buckner for second all-time in career assists. Zeisloft finished with 15 points, all off 3-pointers.
