Mike Woodson has completely reconstructed Indiana’s backcourt within two seasons on the job. Adding Jalen Hood-Schifino and Tamar Bates to the roster, both of whom were five-star recruits at various points per 247Sports, made the difference on Friday night, helping IU avoid a Christmas-time catastrophe.
Bates lit up the Assembly Hall floor with 19 points and a trio of threes, while Hood-Schifino tallied a career-high 18, as Indiana (10-3, 1-1 B1G) overcame an early seven-point deficit to defeat Kennesaw State (8-5), 69-55, in the non-conference finale.
IU did not start the game in impressive fashion. The Hoosiers did not manufacture many clean looks out of their half-court offense, while the Owls created numerous open opportunities from downtown.
Kennesaw State, who came into the game making nearly 40% of their threes this season, made their first two thanks to Kasen Jennings. Then, after the teams exchanged a plethora of misses from the field, the Owls landed the first punch of the game.
They nailed three straight triples, only one of which was contested, to flip a 9-6 IU lead into a 15-9 KSU advantage. The Owls’ first 15 points came from beyond the arc. Once again, Coach Woodson needed to resort to his bench to help the Hoosiers find their footing.
Bates would step up immediately. He scored six of IU’s next eight points, including two emphatic dunks. Bates didn’t miss a shot vs. Elon, and he had double-digit performances vs. Nebraska and Arizona. He would deliver for the Hoosiers against the Owls.
