BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell scored 14 points and Troy Williams added 13 and Indiana rallied to upset No. 4 Iowa 85-78 on Thursday night after blowing a big lead.
Indiana (20-5, 10-2 Big Ten) pulled into a three-way for the conference lead and gave coach Tom Crean his fourth 20-win season at the school.
Jarrod Uthoff led the Hawkeyes (19-5, 10-2) with 24 points, and Mike Gesell had 17. Iowa lost for the first time in four games.
It could have been much easier.
Indiana was cruising in the first half, building a 16-point lead before giving it away.
The Hawkeyes closed to 45-38 at the half and scored the first nine points of the second half to take their first lead since the opening minutes.
Trailing 60-56 with 9:35 left, Indiana regained the lead with 14-2 run and never trailed again.
The game certainly lived up to the billing.
Iowa's Peter Jok left in the second half with what appeared to be a lower left leg injury. He returned a few minutes later.
Indiana point guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell took a shot to the side of the face, then stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank two free throws to give the Hoosiers 72-66 lead.
But the Hawkeyes wouldn't go away. Trailing by nine with 4:34 to play, Iowa was within 79-76 when Gesell made two free throws with 22.5 seconds to go.
But Collin Hartman scored for the Hoosiers and Ferrell made four straight free throws to seal it.
ALUMNI NIGHT
How big was this game? A long line of students snaked through the parking lot at the south end of Assembly Hall long before the doors opened, and inside Indiana's basketball arena, the group of former players in attendance included Dick and Tom Van Arsdale, the twin stars from the mid-1960s; Todd Lindeman, who played with the Hoosiers in 1990s and Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller, who stayed home after beating the Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
TIP-INS
Iowa: Had won 12 of its previous 17 true road games and is 4-2 outside Iowa City in league play. ... Gesell has 1,015 career points. He had six assists to give him 497 in his career. ... The Hawkeyes finished the game by making two of their last eight shots.
Indiana: Has beaten 20 ranked teams since 2011-12, the most in the Big Ten. ... Indiana honored broadcaster Chuck Marlowe with a moment of silence before the game. Marlowe died this week. ... The Hoosiers are now 14-0 at home and have won all but one game by six or more points in Assembly Hall.
UP NEXT
No. 4 Iowa hosts Minnesota on Sunday.
Indiana visits No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday.
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