By Dan Gelston
The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana needed to shake up its lineup to bust out of its worst losing streak in 31 years and avoid falling farther out of the NCAA tournament picture.

Bracey Wright scored 21 points and Jeff Newton added 20 points and 10 rebounds as Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak with a 63-49 win over Michigan Wednesday night.

The Hoosiers (15-8, 5-5 Big Ten) were in their worst skid since the 1971-72 season - the last time they lost five straight - and a possible tournament berth appeared to be slipping away.

"Lose this and you're looking at the NIT," said A.J. Moye. "Lose the next one and you're looking at nothing. You're looking at playing in the Big Ten tournament and hoping you win out."

Coach Mike Davis decided enough was enough, and it was time for a change in the starting lineup. He inserted guards Marshall Strickland and Moye, benched Kyle Hornsby and George Leach and slid Tom Coverdale over to shooting guard.

Each loss was making it clear changes were a necessity, Davis said.

"I just thought we needed to be quicker offensively," he said. "I think Marshall can really push the ball up the court in transition and get into the offense quicker. I think Coverdale presents a problem for people coming off screens."

Their quickness wasn't as much of a factor as Wright and Newton, who helped the Hoosiers dominate inside and re-establish a defensive toughness.

Wright, whose torrid start was derailed by an injury, appears to be back in the groove. After scoring 20 points in a loss to Michigan State, Wright followed with a 7-for-12 effort from the floor and sank three 3-pointers.

"I'm not 100 percent yet," Wright said. "I'm getting stronger every day. Things are pointing in the right direction for me."

He scored five points to open the second half, and Newton added a basket for a 39-20 lead, Indiana's largest of the game.

The Wolverines went on an 14-3 run, capped by Lester Abram's 3-pointer, and pulled to 42-34. It wouldn't be their last run, but they couldn't sustain them enough to mount a serious challenge.

Wright and Newton followed with consecutive three-point plays for a 48-34 lead, only to have Michigan pull within 10 twice more with 6:15 remaining.

The Hoosiers finally put them away for good in the closing minutes. Newton, who had his first double-double since Jan. 8, scored five points as part of a game-ending 17-5 run.

Michigan, which entered tied for first in the Big Ten, has all three conference losses on the road. Daniel Horton led the Wolverines with 16 points.

"We were embarrassed," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "We've been a pretty good team this year at showing some resolve. Hopefully, we'll understand what it means to play a certain way and if we don't, we can't compete in this league."

Strickland scored six points in his second career start. Hornsby, who played fewer than 20 minutes only twice this season, was scoreless in 14 minutes.

Davis said the lineup changes will likely stick for Saturday's game at Wisconsin.

The Hoosiers outrebounded the Wolverines by eight in the first half, which led to a 15-2 edge in second-chance points. They led 32-18 at halftime.

LaVell Blanchard scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds to become the fourth Wolverine to score 1,700 points and have 800 rebounds.

The problems aren't necessarily over for Indiana, however. The Hoosiers play their next games on the road - at Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. They're 0-4 on the road in Big Ten games and haven't won away from Assembly Hall since Dec. 31.

MICHIGAN (14-9)-Abram 1-7 0-0 3, Robinson 5-11 0-0 10, Blanchard 3-13 2-2 8, Brown 4-9 0-0 8, Horton 6-12 0-1 16, Harrell 0-0 0-0 0, Groninger 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter 1-2 0-0 2, Bailey 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 21-56 2-5 49.

INDIANA (15-8)-Moye 2-4 1-2 5, Newton 7-15 6-7 20, Coverdale 3-9 0-0 7, Wright 7-12 4-6 21, Strickland 2-9 2-2 6, Leach 1-1 0-0 2, Perry 0-2 0-0 0, Kline 1-1 0-1 2, Hornsby 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 13-18 63.

Halftime-Indiana 32-18. 3-Point goals-Michigan 5-13 (Horton 4-4, Abram 1-3, Robinson 0-1), Indiana 4-17 (Wright 3-5, Coverdale 1-3, Moye 0-1, Newton 0-1, Hornsby 0-1, Perry 0-2, Strickland 0-4). Fouled out-Moye. Rebounds-Michigan 31 (Brown 8), Indiana 40 (Newton 10).