Blackmon Jr. Ties Career High In Win Over Michigan State

Saturday, January 21

Bloomington, Ind.

4:00 PM

Indiana University

14-6, 4-3B1G

Michigan State

12-8, 4-3B1G

Michigan State

Indiana

Blackmon Jr. Ties Career High In Win Over Michigan State

1/21/2017 6:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University men's basketball team defeated the Michigan State Spartans, 82-75, on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

With the team's third-straight victory, Indiana improves to 13-7 on the season overall and to 4-3 in Big ten conference play. Michigan State falls to 12-8 on the year and to 4-3 in league action.

James Blackmon Jr. was tremendous for the Hoosiers, scoring a season-high while tying his career high with 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-10 from 3-point territory. The junior's total was his career-best in a Big Ten game.

Robert Johnson added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with four rebounds, while Thomas Bryant had 11 points and six boards in the win.

In the opening minutes of the game, the Hoosiers and Spartans went back and forth until Indiana seized control of the contest with a 14-2 run. Trailing by two, 8-6, at the 17:06 mark, IU opened it up over the next four-plus minutes to take a 20-10 lead.

The Spartans cut the lead to nine points, 35-26, with 4:41 left in the half, but the Hoosiers answered right back, reeling off a quick, 9-2 run to push the lead to 17, 43-22.

At halftime, Indiana led Michigan State, 44-30. In the first half, IU shot 50 percent (17-of-34) from the field, including 7-of-14 from 3-point territory. The half marked the 19th time this season that the Hoosiers have shot 50 percent in a half this season.

Defensively, IU was stout in the opening half, forcing eight Michigan State turnovers, while allowing the Spartans to make just two field goals over the last six minutes of the frame.

The Hoosiers were led by Blackmon Jr. in the first half, who came out on fire, hitting his first six shots. The junior guard finished the opening 20 minutes with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Johnson has eight points and two rebounds for IU in the first half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, MSU was able to cut in to the IU lead, but the Hoosiers answered with an 8-0 run to give IU the team's biggest lead, 59-39, with 15:20 remaining in the game.

Michigan State would not go away, however, and over the next 10 minutes the Spartans cut the Hoosier lead to just four points, 69-65, with 5:03 left.

IU withstood the MSU momentum and never let the Spartans get any closer. Lay-ups from Blackmon Jr., freshman Devonte Green and Bryant, along with clutch free-throw shooting helped IU pull out the win, 82-75.

For the game, Indiana shot 49 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, including 46 percent (11-of-24) from 3-point territory. IU committed a season-low nine turnovers, the fewest for the team since committing nine against Maryland on March 6, 2016.

Josh Newkirk totaled five points, four rebounds and five assists on the day, while Green had five points off the bench.

The Indiana Hoosiers will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 29 when the team heads to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.