Missing its leading scorer junior guard James Blackmon Jr., IU needed someone to turn to on offense.
Sophomore forward Thomas Bryant took up that mantle, dominated Penn State on Wednesday and saved the game multiple times for the Hoosiers.
Bryant’s career-high 31 points helped IU hold off Penn State in triple overtime by a final of 110-102.
This performance came just one game after tying his previous career-high.
Bryant scored 23 points in a loss to Northwestern on Sunday.
Bryant’s scoring outburst has come right at the time when the Hoosiers need it most.
“Thomas has responded very well in the sense when James has gone down,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “I don’t think we can give context to how much it affected that group, especially those sophomores when OG went down.”
Bryant credited his mindset for his recent successes that have seen him score 54 points in his last two games.
“Just staying aggressive,” Bryant said. “Just taking what the defense gives me. When people go down, everybody else’s play steps up.”
Bryant shot 13 of 18 from the field against the Nittany Lions, with many of those critical shots coming while the game hung in the balance.
Bryant dominated the post all game and dictated how Penn State defended the Hoosiers. IU scored 60 points in the paint Wednesday because Bryant’s presence down low drew double and triple teams from Penn State.
His first half helped IU get out to a nine-point lead going into halftime as he had 13 points in the first 20 minutes, shooting five of six from the field.
“He was very consistent,” junior guard Rob Johnson said of Bryant. “That’s something we always talk about establishing a game from the paint. We always want to play through the paint whether it’s through the dribble-drive or through the post feed, and I think he did a great job of making reads, attacking when it was there one-on-one and getting all the other guys involved too.”
As a sophomore, Bryant is being asked to do significantly more than he did during his freshman campaign. Last season, IU had Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams and plenty of other scoring options off the bench.
Crean said Bryant is gaining confidence as he beginning to see himself in a larger leadership role.
“He works very hard every day, but right now, he’s even more purposeful than what he’s been,” Crean said. “Exactly what you want him to be. It’s a tough role for a 19-year old to step into. He’s a very good player, but to have to step into that leadership role at that age and have that responsibility on his shoulders, not only to play well but have his teammates play well, that’s a big thing. So I’m very proud of him for that.”
