INDIANAPOLIS – No panic set in for the team, but perhaps it did for its yellow towel waving fans on Tuesday evening.

After a sluggish end to the season continued with a lackluster opening to the playoffs against the Hawks last Saturday, suddenly this Game 2 of a No. 1 vs No. 8 seed series took on the oft-clichéd “Must Win” moniker for those involved.

Even the team, which stressed calm after Atlanta’s 101-93 win in Game 1, admitted a few times in practices leading up to Tuesday’s game that a victory was in need.

While the first half didn’t make anyone feel better, the second half sure did the trick.

Trailing by four at the break, the Pacers outscored the Hawks 31-13 to break open a double-digit lead for the first time all series and allowed them to coast to a decisive 101-85 victory.

With a victory the team evened its best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series at a game apiece. Play now shifts to Atlanta’s Philips Arena for Game 3 Thursday night at 7 p.m.

“We were in a must win situation,” reiterated David West after the victory. “We definitely can’t go into their building down 0-2. I just thought we came out played with desperation, especially in the third quarter.”

George Hill certainly did in the final 24 minutes of the game as the guard rebounded from a scoreless first half to tally 15 points. Paul George was on the entire game as he scored 27 points and grabbed ten rebounds while Luis Scola enjoyed one of his finest games as a Pacer after finishing with 20 points.

All of those players helped Indiana go on a 25-2 run in the third and fourth quarters that finally put the game away.

“Solid win for our guys,” said head coach Frank Vogel. “Credit the starters for trying to impose our style of play on them. Obviously our bench was special tonight.”

They had to be early when things seemed to be going the same as Game 1 in the first quarter even after a quick 7-0 start to the game by the Pacers. The combination of Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague again proved difficult for the Pacers to handle as the pair combined for 16 first quarter points to erase the early Indiana lead.

Louis Williams’ bucket in the final 20 seconds of the quarter gave Atlanta a 26-21 lead after 12 minutes of play.

The Hawks bench extended the lead in the second quarter as they kept the momentum of their starters going, extending the lead to as many as eleven midway through the quarter. Luis Scola was able to keep Atlanta from running away with it, scoring 13 points and collecting four rebounds in the first half to cut into the Hawks’ lead.

C.J. Watson also found the range with nine points–including a pair of three-pointers–to help the Pacers get the lead down to four by halftime.

“I didn’t change anything between games,” said Scola, who wasn’t nearly as effective in Game 1 as he was in Game 2. “I believe the approach that we have as a team, and also I include myself in that, was different. We played with more energy and we played harder.

“That’s what happens when you play harder.”

Especially in the second half and specifically Hill. Scoreless in the first half, the Pacers guard hit three quick buckets at the start of the half–the last of which got the game to even at 59 with 8:33 to play in the quarter. Lance Stephenson put the Pacers ahead with a two-and-foul, and the team was off and running from there. Hill would end up finishing with 10 points in the quarter as the Pacers raced out to their first double-digit lead of the series.

Paul George put a cap on the team’s 31-13 run in the third quarter with a three at the buzzer to put Indiana up 79-65 heading to the fourth.

Indiana didn’t let up going into the fourth quarter as they opened up with an 8-0 run that gave them a 19-0 run overall that helped them finally bury the Hawks and send the series back to Atlanta tied at a game apiece.

Of course the fans were able to wave their rally towels with a little peace of mind.