BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Yikes.
Coming off of a blockbuster win in West Lafayette, the Hoosiers (20-10, 11-8 B1G) carried a horrible hangover back home, humiliated by the Hawkeyes (19-11, 11-8 B1G) by 22 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 26 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. He became IU’s all-time leader in rebounds during the game, an incredible career accomplishment for the senior.
Kris Murray and Tony Perkins led the victors. Murray paced Iowa with 26, nearly equaling the 30 from the first matchup.
Perkins, who attended Lawrence North HS, nearly recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.The Hawkeyes are now 4-0 against Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers over the past two seasons, scoring at least 80 in each game.
Indiana started the game horribly.
The Hawkeyes struck early, building a ten-point lead in the first two minutes of the contest. IU could not generate any offense from the perimeter and was forced to penetrate into the post, sinking a couple of floaters off the drive. The Hoosiers played solid perimeter and paint defense, but the Hawkeyes refused to miss, scoring 21 points in less than eight minutes.
What started slow quickly turned around for Indiana. Big defensive stops coupled with a fast-paced transition offense brought the Hoosiers back into contention. Tamar Bates and Malik Reneau were the first subs for Indiana, attempting to continue the stretch of positive play.
Indiana’s spark faded quickly, though, as the Hawkeyes extended their lead to 13 points halfway through the first. Nothing was working on either end of the court. Jackson-Davis and Reneau were both called for offensive fouls during this stretch, which only fueled the Hawkeye’s momentum.
Every time the Hoosiers started finding a rhythm the Hawkeyes had the answer. Deep Iowa threes painted the scoreboard and missed Indiana layups hurt the Hoosiers. With five minutes remaining in the first half, Iowa led by 17 points.
Kaleb Banks joined the Hoosier effort down the stretch to give Indiana some energy. TJD finished the half with 15 points and Jalen Hood-Schifino reminded fans of his mid-range accuracy. The Hoosiers started closing the gap, finishing the half down 47-36.
The Hoosiers stumbled into the second half with offensive turnovers and defensive fouls. The Hawkeyes continued their prey from the 3-point line and found any and every way to silence the Assembly Hall crowd.
The Hoosiers struggled to stay within even an arm’s reach of Iowa. The Hawkeyes capitalized on all cylinders and stretched their lead to a stunning 23 points.
Exhausted and out of options, the Hoosiers tried containing the Iowa deep ball with a high-pressure, man-to-man defense. While this stunted the Hawkeyes for a few plays, they continued to knock down shots and find all of IU’s defensive gaps. Iowa led 71-46 halfway through the second.
CJ Gunn and Nate Childress came in for the Hoosiers and at worst, provided IU’s stars rest. At best, they brought some needed energy to the Hoosiers. Still in the game, Jackson-Davis refused to let his efforts waver, but he simply received no production from any of his teammates.
Woodson’s frustrations boiled over. He received a technical foul late in the game after a call on Kaleb Banks. Iowa’s Payton Sandfort also picked up a technical foul in the waning moments after making a three, blowing a kiss to the IU students on their way out of Assembly Hall.
Fittingly, the final play of the game was seldom-used Hawkeye Riley Mulvey blocking a Reneau field goal attempt. It was on to Michigan for the Hoosiers.
Up Next
IU concludes its regular season with a Senior Day contest vs. Michigan on Sunday. Tip is scheduled for 4:30p ET on CBS. Indiana defeated Michigan, 62-61, in Ann Arbor on Feb. 11.
Featured Image: CBS Sports
