FINAL: IU 100, CCSU 69

The nation's top scorer was in Assembly Hall Saturday evening, but as he has done several times this season already, Victor Oladipo stole the show.

The junior guard landed dunk after dunk as the Hoosiers once again outran an overmatched non-conference foe, coming away with a 100-69 home victory against Central Connecticut State.

The Blue Devils won the tipoff and struck first, keeping the game close for the opening few minutes. A Blue Devil free throw after the first media timeout tied the game at 9-9 4:06 in.

Then, as has frequently happened during IU's non-conference home slate, Indiana ripped off fast break-fueled run that largely put the game to bed early.

IU outscored CCSU 35-9 in the next 10:01, with many of the points coming off of fast breaks and ending in dunks, including three thundering jams by junior guard Victor Oladipo.

Against the undersized Blue Devils, the Hoosiers consistently drove the lane, even with smaller players such as Oladipo and freshman guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell.

IU was aggressive on defense early and came away with several steals to start break. As CCSU's deficit grew, though, they resorted to launching more and more 3-pointers. IU adjusted accordingly and focused on the rebounding battle.

The news was not all good for IU in the first half, though.

Sophomore forward Austin Etherington, one of a number of reserves in by the half's last few minutes, went down under the CCSU basket with 2:28 left, clutching his knee. He was taken off on a stretcher amidst crowding teammates and cheering fans.

IU players were visibly somber and dazed as IU Coach Tom Crean rounded them up to resume play, and the Hoosiers essentially traded baskets with the Blue Devils the rest of the way.

The second half saw IU quickly build its lead back up to 25 and keep it in that vicinity for much of the period, sloppy ballhandling preventing it from stretching further.

IU continued to employ the fast break, while CCSU slowed the game down somewhat and worked more out of the halfcourt on offense. The Blue Devils were also noticeably more physical in the second half as the referees proved reluctant to call fouls.

Eventually, the fast break wore down the depth-challenged Blue Devils as IU utilized its reserves for energy off the bench and pushed the lead past 30. IU reached triple digits in scoring with less than a minute remaining, the second such feat this season.