Matt Gatens' clutch performance lifts Iowa past Indiana (with photo slideshow)

IOWA CITY - Matt Gatens' bobblehead night conveniently is scheduled for Thursday. After the way the Iowa senior played Sunday against No. 18 Indiana, one might wonder if a Gatens statue seems more appropriate.

Gatens scored a personal-best 30 points in a 78-66 win against Indiana at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The point output was impressive, but the way he delivered the Hawkeyes in the clutch was, well, clutch.

With eight minutes left in the game, Iowa (14-13, 6-8 Big Ten) was in panic mode and holding a 52-42 lead. Gatens boosted the Hawkeyes and the Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd by drilling a 3-pointer to push Iowa's lead to 13 points.

One possession later and the shot clock drifting down, Gatens hit a 27-foot 3-pointer in front of Christian Watford to give the Hawkeyes a 62-46 lead. Two possessions later Gatens hit another 3-pointer. He followed with another on the ensuing trip up the court.

During that five-possession run, Gatens made four 3-pointers. He ended the game hitting five consecutive 3-pointers, the second straight game he had done so. The first time was against Penn State, which ended in defeat. The second was Sunday against Indiana (20-7, 8-7).

"I said the other day it was a shame that we didn't ride his performance in the second half at Penn State because he was so spectacular," Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. "He's just been playing as well, if not better, than anybody in this league. Coaching is easy when you can start running some clock, and then run something for him. We just kept going to him a different way, and he kept ringing the bell."

In both games Gatens overcome a tough first-half performance to score 20-plus points. At Penn State, he scored only two points by halftime before draining 19 in the second half. Sunday, he scored eight in the first half and 22 in the final 20 minutes.

"It was fun," Gatens said. "We got up about 16, and we got a little bit comfortable, stopped attacking and we needed to start making some buckets. Coach called a couple of plays for myself, and I just got to step up and make them. Guys did a great job of screening and delivering the ball on time."

Indiana Coach Tom Crean called Gatens "the most determined player on the floor." Crean said the Hoosiers tried to follow the scouting report on Gatens, but he knocked down shots sometimes with hands in his face.

"He's not only one of the better shooters and guards in this league; he's one of the better ones in the country," Crean said. "That's a four-year guy that has been doing it at a high level. That's a great guy to walk into, walk into a program. You've got Matt Gatens sitting there. It's pretty good."

The win helped Iowa snap a two-game losing streak but the Hawkeyes earned their third straight Big Ten home victory. Iowa also has beaten Indiana four straight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and is 3-3 against ranked league opponents this year. That's after losing 25 straight to ranked opponents before last year's regular-season finale.

But the past is the past, and Gatens reveled Sunday in the present.

"The guys were happy and smiling, and that's what means the most to me is just being happy," Gatens said. "We've had so many down times; it's a lot of fun to win."

INDIANA (20-7)

Watford 0-5 1-2 1, Elston 4-6 3-4 13, Zeller 5-12 5-7 15, Hulls 1-5 0-0 2, Oladipo 4-11 7-7 15, Barnett 0-0 0-0 0, Sheehey 2-7 3-4 7, Moore 0-0 0-0 0, Jones III 0-2 0-0 0, Etherington 0-0 0-0 0, Abell 0-0 0-0 0, Pritchard 0-1 1-2 1, Roth 4-4 0-0 12. Totals 20-53 20-26 66.

IOWA (14-13)

McCabe 1-3 0-0 2, White 4-10 0-1 8, Oglesby 2-8 5-6 11, Marble 4-17 2-5 10, Gatens 10-18 3-3 30, Olaseni 0-0 0-0 0, Basabe 4-5 5-6 13, Brommer 1-1 0-0 2, Stubbs 0-0 0-0 0, Stokes 1-1 0-0 2, Archie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-63 15-21 78.

Halftime_Iowa 37-26. 3-Point Goals_Indiana 6-16 (Roth 4-4, Elston 2-3, Jones III 0-1, Oladipo 0-2, Watford 0-2, Sheehey 0-2, Hulls 0-2), Iowa 9-18 (Gatens 7-10, Oglesby 2-5, McCabe 0-1, Marble 0-2). Fouled Out_McCabe. Rebounds_Indiana 35 (Zeller 13), Iowa 41 (White 10). Assists_Indiana 13 (Hulls 4), Iowa 12 (Marble 7). Total Fouls_Indiana 19, Iowa 18. A_13,282.