Amid double-teams that fronted frequently and fouled as often, John Amaechi poured in a season-high 27 points, surpassing 1,000 career points at Penn State in the process.

A night to remember was in the making. It would be an evening Amaechi, the Lions' powerful center, wouldn't ever forget.

However, Indiana forward Brian Evans was the player who took control when the game was on the line, guiding the Hoosiers to a 71-69 victory over the men's basketball team last night at Rec Hall.

"Goddamn, Evans is a pretty good player," Indiana Coach Bob Knight said. "I expect him to play well down the stretch, the beginning, the end, tomorrow, Sunday . . ."

Evans used a textbook stroke, so smooth that his left hand hangs in the air upon release waiting for the shot to drop before following suit, to score 13 second-half points and keep the Hoosiers within contention as the Lions gained momentum late.

The 6-foot-8-inch junior forward converted 11 free throws in 14 attempts, including a pair that gave Indiana a 68-67 lead with one minute, 12 seconds remaining. It was Evans who sank the front end of a one-and-one at 11.1 seconds that sealed the Hoosier win.

While Evans was keeping victory within reach for the Hoosiers with backdoor passes to Alan Henderson -- who finished with 22 points -- and clutch shooting, the Lions' Amaechi virtually disappeared in the final four minutes.

"I'd say we'd be kidding ourselves if I say we lost because I didn't get the ball," Amaechi said, searching for answers. "Maybe I wasn't getting open. There were many reasons."

The most obvious was that the 6-foot-10-inch center hardly touched the ball when the Lions needed him most. After scoring 27 points in 34 minutes, his only field goal attempt in the last four minutes was a forced fadeaway from the right corner as the 35-second shot clock expired at 1:20.

"I think it can upset the balance of the team if you try to pound it inside," Amaechi reasoned. But that was a strategy that worked, giving Amaechi ample scoring opportunities and putting the Hoosier frontcourt in a precarious personal foul dilemma.

"We made up our minds tonight that if we're going to get beat, it isn't going to be by three-point shots," Knight said. "We were going to put more pressure on the perimeter and by doing that, we gave Amaechi a lot more opportunities than we have in the past."

Beginning with a layup that cut the Lions' deficit to 22-19 at 5:10 in the first half, Amaechi scored 10 consecutive points in a late first-half rally. His battles in the paint slowly opened the perimeter, but the Lions had already climbed upon his shoulders.

Had the game ended in a Lion victory, Amaechi would have been walking on air. Instead, it was Evans' puncture which deflated the night.