After trailing the University of Indianapolis 27-25 at halftime, Indiana’s men’s basketball team was in the midst of a big second half charge.
Indiana freshman guard Gabe Cupps forced a 10-second violation with ball pressure in the back court. Senior forward Anthony Walker sank a turnaround midrange jumper. Sophomore guard C.J. Gunn drew a charge and gave the Hoosiers the ball back.
The blotchy crowd inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall rose to its feet, erupting in applause as the Hoosiers took a 12-point lead with 10 minutes to play, their biggest advantage of the game.
In this moment, it felt as if Indiana had finally arrived.
The Hoosiers ran away from the Greyhounds, taking a 74-52 win in Sunday’s exhibition spearheaded by a dominant final 20 minutes in which they outscored the visitors 49-25.
Indiana’s first half was far from pretty, as it made just 10-of-31 shots, went 0-for-4 from three-point range and just 5-of-11 at the free throw line. The Hoosiers had seven turnovers and missed several opportunities around the rim.
At halftime, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson addressed his team, which has 10 new faces and four new starters. The message was simple: the first half performance didn’t meet the standard that’s been set.
“We had a nice halftime talk,” Woodson said. “I thought to start the game, we were a little tight. We missed so many layups and couldn’t make free throws. [UIndy] plays hard. I thought we adjusted and finally started playing Indiana basketball.”
Woodson gave credit to the Hoosiers’ defense, with the second unit, led by Cupps, providing a cushion. Walker, who tied with Cupps for the team lead in plus-minus at plus-14, turned the table on Woodson, praising his coach’s halftime speech.
“The real Coach Woody came out,” Walker said. “He wanted us to play Indiana basketball like the way he’s been coaching us all summer and since he’s been here. That’s exactly what we did in the second half.”
Indiana’s tight, mistake-filled first half offered insight as to where Woodson’s team currently is. The Hoosiers’ third-year coach mentioned in his press conference Friday that his group has a long way to go, which was evident early and often against the Greyhounds.
But the second half, during which Indiana made 20-of-31 attempts, shot 3-of-6 from outside the arc and held UIndy to just 9-of-27 from the floor, showed the lofty ceiling the Hoosiers possess.
A pair of newcomers in sophomore center Kel’el Ware and freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako led the way in the scoring column with 14 points apiece. Ware made all five of his shot attempts in the second half while adding six rebounds and two blocks. Mgbako came up two rebounds shy of a double-double.
The Hoosiers had only three turnovers in the second half. They swatted three of the Greyhounds’ shot attempts and logged seven steals. Indiana made 17-of-25 attempts from inside the arc, a marked improvement after going 10-of-27 in that category during the first half.
A cleaner, physical and productive final 20 minutes left Woodson optimistic postgame.
“I told our guys we were too soft,” Woodson said. “We've got to be tougher. You've got to will the ball in. Put it in the bucket. Don't hope that it goes in; you've got to put it in there. I thought the second half we were better in that regard.”
Woodson stated his main goal Sunday was to see if the first and second units could play in game action, with depth being an important aspect for this iteration of the Hoosiers. That box was checked, Woodson said, despite the inconsistencies.
The first half was concerning. The second half was encouraging.
And ultimately, the Hoosiers received exactly what they wanted out of Sunday’s game – a 22-point win with lots to build on during Friday’s second exhibition game against Marian University, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
