Eric Gordonscored 31 points -- the third time in his four game collegiate career he's hit for at least 30 -- and the No. 8 Hoosiers hung on in the second half Friday night to beat scrappy Illinois State 70-57 in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

"I thought I did pretty good. I had a good feeling offensively, especially in the first half," said Gordon after pushing his average to 28.7 for the unbeaten Hoosiers. "It was really physical, especially in the second half. ... This is the closest game we've had, and it was good to grind it out."

Gordon, who had 20 points in the first half, finished 11-for-18 from the field, with a pair of 3-pointers and six rebounds. Illinois State even tried a gimmick box-and-one defense in the second half on the young Hoosiers' start.