No. 3/5 Indiana Cruises Past MVSU, 85-52

Sunday, November 27

Bloomington, Ind.

4:00 PM

Indiana University

4-1

Mississippi Valley State

0-8

Miss. Valley State

Indiana

11/27/2016 6:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A crucial shift in the final 90 seconds of the first half sparked #3/5 Indiana's uncompromising second half in their 85-52 win over Mississippi Valley State, the conclusion of the Indiana Classic.

The Hoosiers (4-1) held a 33-16 lead after Freddie McSwain's putback layup, but the Delta Devils (0-8) responded with a 12-0 scoring run to pull within 5 points. O.G. Anunoby snapped the run with his second 3-pointer of the half, and Juwan Morgan made good on two trips to the stripe, scoring 4 points.

The defense didn't budge. Indiana closed the half on a 7-0 scoring run, and returned in the second with 11 unanswered for a 51-28 lead, from which the Delta Devils never recovered.

Anunoby led the floor with a career-high 21 points on 7-for-12 from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from the arc. Robert Johnson buried 4 of Indiana's 9 3-pointers in the game, which tied his single-game career best.

IU gave a noteworthy effort on the glass, hauling in 48 rebounds to Mississippi Valley State's 26. Indiana's 14 offensive rebounds led to 19 second-chance points. Morgan led the Hoosiers with 4 offensive boards, tying a career high.

Thomas Bryant utilized his size and speed in transition for his fifth career double-double, tallying 13 points with 11 rebounds and a team-leading 3 bocks. As a team, IU swatted 8 shot attempts, the highest single-game total for Indiana in over two years.

Much of Indiana's success in the win stemmed from a pair of newcomers, freshman Curtis Jones and redshirt sophomore transfer Zach McRoberts. Jones tallied 5 assists, his season high, along with 9 points off the bench. McRoberts earned his first career start and hit his first shot attempt, a 3-pointer, along with a rebound, an assist, and a steal.

McSwain, for his part, delivered an efficient outing. The freshman didn't miss, going 3-for-3 from the field for six points. Two of his baskets came off the offensive glass, on which he grabbed the rebounds.

Josh Newkirk led Indiana with 6 assists and hit two layups, including an and-one to give Indiana the lead for good with 16:30 remaining in the first half. He also added four rebounds with one from the offensive boards.

Indiana's defense held the Delta Devils to 31.3% from the field, allowing just 8 makes on 37 second half attempts. Their cerebral defensive coverage kept Mississippi Valley State off of the free stripe, as IU allowed just 9 free throw attempts.

Another compelling installment of the annual Big Ten vs. ACC Challenge awaits Indiana this Wednesday, November 30, as they host #4/4 North Carolina (7-0). The matchup is projected to be one of the marquee matchups of the conference showdown, as it features a Sweet 16 rematch from last season's NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.