Indiana men’s basketball had already faced one of its four nonconference tests: a dominant victory over Marquette University on Nov. 9.
And in the No. 25 Hoosiers’ lone Power Four nonconference contest at home against Kansas State University, they did the same. Indiana defeated the Wildcats 86-69 on Tuesday, inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington to improve to 6-0.
The Hoosiers began the contest on an 8-0 run with a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers. After the Wildcats got on the board and pulled within five points, the Cream and Crimson went on an 11-0 spurt to take a 16-point advantage less than seven minutes into the game.
But Kansas State didn’t roll over. Instead, it responded with a 10-0 run. And after the Hoosiers knocked down a pair of free throws, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to just two.
While Indiana went over six minutes without a field goal, it got its offense back on track throughout the rest of the first half. Sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway, fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson and freshman forward Trent Sisley each scored eight first-half points, as the Hoosiers led by 12 at the break.
After the two squads traded buckets to begin the second half, Indiana went on an 8-0 run to take a 20-point lead. However, Kansas State again answered with a run. It made eight consecutive field goals and pulled within 10.
But the Hoosiers had their own response. Conerway notched a layup and made the free throw to complete the 3-point play. The Cream and Crimson then rattled off seven consecutive points to push their lead to 18.
Kansas State could only cut its deficit to 15 as Indiana earned the victory — its sixth of the season.
Senior forward Reed Bailey led all scorers with 21 points while Conerway and Wilkerson added 19 and 14, respectively. The Hoosiers held Wildcats junior guard P.J. Haggerty — the nation’s leading scorer — to 16 points.
Indiana will return to action against Bethune-Cookman University at noon Saturday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The contest will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
