Indiana had scored six straight points to cut Northwestern’s lead to 11 with 8:34 left in the game when Winston Blake toed the line at the top of the key, needing just one point for 1,000 in his career.

The slumping forward caught a pass, dribbled twice, stepped up and sank the trey — putting the Wildcats up 54-41 en route to their first Big Ten win of the season. Blake watched as the shot fell through the net, then backed away with both hands pointed skyward as he shed the monkey from his and all the Cats’ backs.

NU (9-10, 1-7 Big Ten) never let Indiana back in the game after that, winning 74-61 and breaking a 15-year losing streak to the Hoosiers.

Junior guard Jitim Young led the Cats with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive) and showed no ill effects of a dislocated finger suffered Saturday. Freshman point guard T.J. Parker added 21 points.

Hoosiers coach Mike Davis skipped the post-game press conference after Indiana’s fourth straight loss.

Back in Evanston after three straight road losses, NU’s energy was evident from the start. Freshman Mohamed Hachad found Parker on a cut to the basket and then scored on two drives to the hoop as the Cats jumped out to a 6-0 lead.

A new defensive strategy also paid dividends. The first time the two teams hooked up, NU coach Bill Carmody concentrated his defense on stopping big men Jeff Newton and George Leach. That allowed Indiana’s senior sharpshooters Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby to combine for 11 3-pointers and 38 points in the Hoosiers’ 71-57 win Jan. 15.

But the Cats left Burke and Aaron Jennings in man coverage Wednesday and held Coverdale to 0-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc and preventing Hornsby from even taking a trey.

NU held Newton to five rebounds —