With 10:49 left to play, Indiana men’s basketball trails Iowa 52-45. Hawkeye senior guard Bennett Stirtz just hit a left wing 3-pointer, and Hoosier sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway is on the ground.
The Burleson, Texas, native led Indiana with 16 points, all from the paint. As Conerway hobbled off the court, Indiana’s chances of a comeback seemingly left the game with him.
While Conerway returned nearly two minutes later, the damage was done. It was the first in a series of events that derailed the Hoosiers’ resurgence, and led to a 74-57 defeat to the Hawkeyes.
On his first possession back in the game, Conerway fouled Hawkeye senior guard/forward Tavion Banks as he went up for a layup, leading to and-one that put Iowa up 12, tying its largest lead of the night. But for the final eight and a half minutes, the Hoosiers trailed by even more.
One issue that plagued the Cream and Crimson late in the game was turnovers. After a steal, Conerway found senior forward Reed Bailey on the interior, but Bailey couldn’t corral the pass as it went off his hands and out of bounds. Faced with a disgruntled crowd, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries subbed Bailey out of the game, ending his night with just 12 minutes played.
Indiana was also missing key production from fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, who was frequently draped by the Hawkeye defense. Wilkerson was held to just nine points, tying his lowest outing of the season.
Throughout the second half, the Hoosiers couldn’t contain Iowa’s offense. Hawkeye senior guard Bennett Stirtz tallied a game-high 27 points, while Banks added 26 of his own. The duo combined for 19 points at the free throw line. Over the Cream and Crimson’s last three games, they’ve been outscored by 36 points in the second half.
“It's been pretty similar, and we've got to figure out a way to get a little more rest probably for those guys,” DeVries said postgame. “As we get into the middle of the second half, there's 10, 12 minutes to go — and it's been consistent the last three games — we look fatigued.”
While Conerway’s ability to get downhill and score at the rim helped stabilize Indiana’s offense Saturday, it’s not the style that the Hoosiers are aiming for. DeVries’ offense is predicated on movement and creating open looks. With the focus shifted against Iowa, the result was a season-low 57-point scoring effort with only nine assists.
“For us, when our offense is good, we get a lot of movement, a lot of cutting, a lot of action,” DeVries said. “Again, it probably comes back to a little bit of that fatigue as they get tired or movement gets less. We've got to be able to fight through that a little bit better.”
Since collapsing on the road in the second half against the University of Kentucky on Dec. 13, the Hoosiers have frequently fallen apart in the latter minutes of games. The Cream and Crimson habitually relinquish momentum in the final 20 minutes, failing to finish off wins against quality opponents. Conerway stressed Indiana’s need to “throw the first punch” coming out of the break.
One source of offense that would help the Hoosiers contend deeper into games is redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year has largely disappeared from the Hoosiers’ offense, putting up consecutive single digit scoring performances.
Since scoring 20 or more points in four of Indiana’s first nine games, DeVries’ average has plummeted to just 14.2 points per game, his lowest mark since his freshman season at Drake University.
Despite their recent struggles, the Hoosiers remain confident in their ability to compete in the Big Ten. Senior forward Sam Alexis — who reached double figures for the first time since Dec. 3 — emphasized the “one game at a time” mindset he took from his national championship winning University of Florida team.
“We're going to take some Ls,” Alexis said. “We're a brand new team, but we're going to figure it out.”
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.
