Road wins in the Big Ten are hard to come by. Road wins in general haven’t come easy for Indiana. That trend continued on Sunday, as the Indiana Hoosiers (10-3, 1-2 B1G) were upset by Penn State (6-5, 1-2 B1G). IU now has seven consecutive true road losses on its ledger.
Mike Woodson started off by re-inserting Parker Stewart into the starting lineup, alongside mainstays Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Thompson imposed himself on the glass in the early going. Seven of IU’s first 11 points came on second chance opportunities off of Thompson offensive rebounds. Jackson-Davis, Johnson, and Kopp all found twine to get IU out to an 11-6 lead.
The Nittany Lions slowed the game down from the start, in line with their style of play coming into this contest. Out of 358 Division I teams, PSU had an adjusted pace rating of 344th in the country, according to KenPom. This allowed the home side to stay in the game.
Seth Lundy, Jalen Pickett, and Myles Dread were constant pests from beyond the arc on Sunday. All three converted a three-pointer in the first half, with Pickett and Lundy each making two. Those conversions helped Penn State stay within arm’s reach of Indiana. IU had led for over 12 of the 20 first-half minutes, but no advantage was greater than five points.
Jackson-Davis, IU’s All-American forward, was intent on involving his teammates early. The superstar out of Center Grove HS attempted just five field goals in the first half but registered a team-high two assists. His basket with two minutes left before halftime gave IU a four-point advantage.
Then, a key juncture in the game took place. IU didn’t score for the remainder of the half, but a three from Lundy and a final possession shot by Pickett gave PSU a one-point lead at halftime.
