INDIANAPOLIS — Luke Recker beat the clock — and his former team.
Recker's 15-foot runner from the right corner as time expired Saturday gave Iowa a 62-60 victory over No. 23 Indiana in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. It was the Hawkeyes' second straight victory in the closing seconds.
After Recker's basket, the three officials checked the replay monitor to make sure Recker got the shot off in time. The ball appeared to leave Recker's hands with 0.1 seconds remaining.
Later, however, videotape showed that the clock had paused for about one-half second with 2.2 seconds remaining. The officials were not looking that far back, and Indiana officials said they were not planning to file any action with the Big Ten.
"If there was a problem, the game is over," university spokesman Jeff Fanter said.
Recker finished with 17 points, including the Hawkeyes' last five in the final minute — a game-tying 3-pointer and the game-winning shot — as Iowa (19-14) advanced to the Big Ten title game for the second straight season.
Indiana (20-11) was led by A.J. Moye with 14 points.
Recker, a former Indiana Mr. Basketball who transferred from Indiana, received a rude reception last month when he returned to play in Bloomington for the first time.
Now, it was a sweet moment for him as the Hawkeyes kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Recker walked toward the Hawkeyes' crowd, pointing several times to the word Iowa on his jersey.
Iowa, which may need to repeat as Big Ten Tournament champs to reach the NCAA Tournament, knocked off top-seeded Wisconsin, 58-56, on Friday when Recker sank a 13-footer with 1.4 seconds left.
But it didn't look as if Recker would get another chance to save the Hawkeyes yesterday.
The Hawkeyes took their first lead of the second half when Recker's layup made it 39-38 with 13:05 left.
Then, the teams traded leads or ties four more times — until Moye tried to single-handedly turn the game. He forced a turnover, then hit a 3-pointer to break a 42-42 tie. On the next Hawkeye possession, Moye's steal led to a Jared Jeffries layup and a 47-42 lead with 8:52 to go. Moye followed with a charge, leading to another Jeffries basket and a 49-42 lead.
The Hawkeyes rallied with a 9-1 run, tying the score at 56-56 with 2:52 to go. Indiana, however, got a layup from Jeff Newton to retake the lead and after two Tom Coverdale free throws, Indiana led 60-57. But Recker hit a 3 to tie the score with 58 seconds left.
Indiana had four chances to tie the score on its next possession, but Recker finally grabbed the loose ball and called timeout as he fell out of bounds with 13.2 seconds remaining.
Iowa then put the ball in the hands of Recker, who had hit 23 of 33 shots in the tournament before the game-winner. Recker took the ball, dribbled past Jeffries and threw it in as he drove the baseline.
For Iowa, Reggie Evans and Pierre Pierce each scored 11 points and Brody Boyd had 10, as the Hawkeyes won the rematch of last season's Big Ten championship.
Tom Coverdale added 11 points and Jeffries 10 for the Hoosiers.
