BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Add this night to the IU basketball record books. In the program’s 122nd year of existence, there’s a new single game high for points scored at Assembly Hall.
On the shoulders of Trayce Jackson-Davis’ 43 points, five rebounds, five blocks, and four assists, the Hoosiers (6-0) overcame a 12-point deficit to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2), 90-79.
For the sixth consecutive game, head coach Mike Woodson rolled out the same starting five. Xavier Johnson, Parker Stewart, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, and Trayce Jackson-Davis started things off for the Cream and Crimson.
The first seven minutes of the ball game were completely owned by Jackson-Davis and Thompson who scored the team’s first 15 points of the game.
Did I mention the first seven minutes belonging to TJD? Really, it was the entire first half offensively. The preseason All-American collected 22 first half points while shooting 78 percent (11-of-14) from the field. Jackson-Davis also grabbed a pair of rebound and steals in the first half.
Xavier Johnson said that he told Jackson-Davis in the middle of the game, “I believe that you are the best player in American and its disrespectful for them to not double you.”
The backbone of this Indiana team, thus far, has been their defense and the pressure they are able to apply to the opposing team. Well, Marshall seemed to not be affected by the Hoosiers defensive pressure whatsoever.
The Herd shot 58 percent from the field in the first half (19-of-33) with most of those shots coming right at the rim. Marshall went on a 17-0 scoring run in the first half that ended in IU facing their largest deficit of the season thus far.
The Cream and Crimson scratched and clawed their way back into the ball game behind TJD’s stellar offensive first half and more effective defensive pressure. At half, IU trailed only by one point, 42-41.
The end of the first half did not mean the end of TJD’s dominant offensive performance. Rather, it was the start of a career night. In the second half, Jackson-Davis blew by his previous career-high in points scored (34) and shot 75 percent from the field (18-of-24). A windmill jam before the buzzer set the new Assembly Hall record.
The defensive intensity and pressure picked up immensely in the second half. After allowing Marshall to shoot nearly 60 percent in the first, the Hoosiers only allowed them to shoot only 40 percent in the second half. This allowed the Hoosiers to regain the lead and never look back.
The Hoosiers were led by Jackson-Davis with 43 points, Johnson with six assists, and Thompson with 10 rebounds. The three combined to score 71 of the 90 points scored.
Marshall guard Taevion Kinsey, who finished the game with 21 points, did all he could to keep the Herd in the ball game but eventually ran out of gas along with the rest of his team. The Hoosiers, after being theoretically punched in the mouth, fought back, and won in dominant fashion, 90-79.
“We were challenged and that happens in basketball,” said Woodson. “As a coach I wanted to see who was going to make plays down the stretch and we did just that.”
What’s Next?
Up next for the Hoosiers is their first road game of the year as they travel to Syracuse, NY to compete in the ACC vs Big Ten challenge against Syracuse on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 PM EST.
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