Against the University of Louisville, Indiana men’s basketball’s offense came out stagnant, and the Hoosiers fell behind 16-0. But against Penn State on Tuesday, the Cream and Crimson came out firing.
Penn State freshman guard Kayden Mingo opened the scoring with a layup to take a 2-0 lead. But from there, it was all Indiana. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson set the Hoosiers ablaze, drilling three 3-pointers within the first three minutes of action as Indiana raced out to a 12-5 lead.
From then on, Indiana took control as it marched to a commanding 113-72 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to snap its two-game losing skid and earn the first Big Ten victory of the Darian DeVries era. Wilkerson scored an all-time Assembly Hall record of 44 points and knocked down a program record 10 3-pointers.
After a cold stretch of five points in five minutes, the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions traded buckets. Sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway knocked down a 3-pointer, and senior forward Reed Bailey scored twice in the interior, and it looked like Penn State might stay in the game.
But Bailey's second score — a dunk assisted by Conerway — ignited another Hoosier scoring spurt. Over the next three minutes, Indiana went on a 13-0 run fueled by Wilkerson, who raised his scoring total to 20 with over eight minutes to play in the first half.
It took the Nittany Lions nearly 17 minutes to match Wilkerson’s output, and the Hoosiers entered the break with a 58-26 lead.
Aggressive defense was a major factor in Indiana’s outburst. The Cream and Crimson forced 11 Penn State turnovers in the first half, converting them into 20 points.
When the second half began, Indiana could afford to sit back and cruise to the finish line. But Wilkerson had other ideas. Just like how he started the game, he came out on fire, knocking down five more triples in the first five and half minutes of the half.
With over 14 minutes left to play, Wilkerson had set a career high in points and tied an Indiana program record with nine 3-pointers. His 10th long ball came on a second chance shot that pushed the Hoosiers to the triple digits for the fourth time this season.
Wilkerson checked out with 4:53 to play to a standing ovation, finishing his historic night with a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record 44 points and an Indiana program record of 10 3-pointers.
Bailey added 18 points, while Conerway ended with 17 points and 7 assists. Redshirt senior guard Conor Enright dished out 8 assists and redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries tallied 12 points and 6 assists.
The Hoosiers’ dominant night ended with a commanding 113-72 victory, their first conference win of the season. Next, the Cream and Crimson will take on the University of Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
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.
