Morgan Triple-Doubles Down In Win Over Jacksonville

Saturday, December 22

Bloomington, Ind.

6:00 PM

Indiana University

11-2

Jacksonville

7-7

Jacksonville

Indiana

Morgan Triple-Doubles Down In Win Over Jacksonville

12/22/2018 8:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com

By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Just over 15 minutes remained in Saturday's game with Jacksonville and Indiana's Juwan Morgan was the lone Hoosier starter not to have attained double-figure scoring.

Not that he was slacking, mind you.

Morgan was working on just the second triple-double ever posted in the luminous history of IU basketball – eventually finishing with 10 points (on 5 of 5 shooting), 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 94-64 Hoosier romp.

For those of you into mathematical symmetry:

Morgan's 10-10-10 stat line adds up to 30. He played 30 minutes. His plus-minus ratio for the game was a plus 30. The Hoosiers won by 30.

Characteristically, Morgan credited coaches and teammates.

"I just think it was a great offensive scheme throughout the whole game," Morgan said. "I think we really had trust in each other throughout the whole game – trust in them for finding me, reciprocating that, finding them and getting open shots."

But Morgan appreciated the rarity of what had just happened.

"It means a lot," he said. "Triple-double is very hard to come by. You don't see too many people do that. This is the second one in school history. I really don't know what to say."

Steve Downing had plenty to say about IU's 88-79 win Feb. 23, 1971, over a Michigan team that entered with an 8-0 record in Big Ten play.

Downing delivered 28 points, 17 boards and 10 shots-blocks. He shared the plaudits that day in the IU Fieldhouse with Indiana (and former Indianapolis Washington) teammate George McGinnis, who supplied 33 points and 15 rebounds.

IU sophomore guard Aljami Durham, who tallied a career-high 18 points Saturday to lead all scorers, said he felt privileged to share the court with Morgan.

"You just see all the hard work come into the light, really," Durham said of Morgan's performance. "He's a hard worker. He does everything for us. He's just a great guy.

"I feel like, if anybody, he deserves this. It's an honor to be a part of it with him."

The Hoosiers made some collective history Saturday, too. Their .648 field goal percentage was the best single-game mark ever compiled by any team coached by Archie Miller, who is in his second season at Bloomington after six successful seasons at Dayton.

And Indiana had 21 assists to 12 turnovers, a positive palindrome.

"We played well tonight," Miller said matter-of-factly. "We shared the ball. We were much better in terms of moving the ball. I thought our guys did a decent job of playing together.

"Defensively we grinded pretty good for about 30 minutes, then obviously we took the foot off the pedal, which was a little disappointing. But it's hard to complain when you have a lot of different guys in there contributing, also being down two guys that play an important role on our team."

IU played without starting freshman point guard Robert Phinisee (concussion protocol) and senior co-captain Zach McRoberts (back issues) – and, as has seemed the case in several recent games, didn't start especially well.

Jacksonville (7-7) forged a 14-9 lead six minutes in.

But from that point on the home team methodically, almost mercilessly, gained and sustained command.

The fourth and final lead-change came 12:48 before halftime on a Justin Smith free throw.

By the time Morgan dunked, assisted a Romeo Langford dunk, and exited for the first time at the 9:50 mark, Indiana had stretched the lead to 23-16 – and Morgan already had six points, five boards, four assists (one of which was a terrific half-court diagonal bounce pass for a flying Justin Smith dunk) and three blocks.

So the triple-double possibility started percolating early.

A pretty finish on a lane drive by Devonte Green made it 44-29 Hoosiers at half, by which juncture Durham hadn't missed a shot of any sort and led all scorers with 12 points.

Indiana then proceeded to score the first 10 points of the second half to quash any notion of a Jacksonville rally.

"We didn't want to let up," Durham recalled. "We wanted to keep our intensity up from the first half. We wanted to come out strong, make sure we didn't miss a beat."

The Hoosiers certainly didn't miss many shots. They were 18 of 25 (.720) from the field after halftime.

Morgan's career-high sixth assist came at the 19:11 mark on a nifty feed for Smith along the baseline.

A Langford jumper bumped the lead over 20 for the first time 50-29, with 18:29 left.

The lead crested to 30, 64-24, with 13 minutes left as IU freshman Damezi Anderson drilled two straight 3s, the second one coming as Langford unselfishly passed up a shot to get the ball to the hot hand.

Landford then led De'Ron Davis for a fast-break dunk to make it 66-34.

Indiana's lead peaked at 75-40 with 9:19 left on the Durham 3 that came off Morgan's 10^th assist.

All that remained for a Morgan triple-double was another bucket. He'd hit all his shots, but had only taken four, so he was sitting on eight points.

IU junior walk-on and Bloomington native Johnny Jager was keeping track.

"Johnny was keeping me up to date on it," Morgan acknowledged. "He told me I only needed two more assists to get to 10, one more basket. When I threw (that pass) to Al, I just kept telling him to shoot."

Miller was unaware that Morgan stood on the threshold of history till a media timeout ensued with 7:59 left.

"I didn't realize it until we had the media (timeout) where he was two points away," Miller said. "We drew up a play underneath out-of-bounds to make sure he got it."

IU ran a nifty set with Morgan catching a Green feed in perfect position to gently deposit the ball into the basket. The deed was done.

Morgan left for good at the 6:29 mark amidst a deserved, rousing standing ovation from the crowd of 14,975 – and his teammates.

"He's getting as much done as any player in college basketball, for our team," Miller said of Morgan, and of the 6-foot-7 senior's continuing progress as a passer. "He's got confidence in his perimeter game right now, more so than anything, handling the ball in the open floor.

"He's looking for people. He hunts to get guys shots. He's terrific out of the post. He's finding guys out of the post, cutter, shooter.

"Tonight, when you put him against the zone, he's really dangerous because he can operate in the high post or low post. To be able to deal with that type of zone, playing through the middle, he again sort of picked it apart working the back line, whatnot. He had all three levels going."

Lots of Hoosiers had it going, Saturday.

Langford (15 points, with 6 of 9 shooting from the field), Smith (13 on 6 of 7 shooting) and Green (13 points and five assists) joined Morgan and Durham in double-figures for IU (11-2).

Jace Hogan had 17 points to lead the Dolphins, who also got 15 from Tyreese Davis and 10 from Jalyn Hinton.

"The experience is cool for them," Jacksonville coach Tony Jasick said of his players. "If you are picking historical college basketball venues, this is one of them. There is no doubt.

"It doesn't feel great now, but in about 10-12 years they will reflect on this and be able to tell great stories."

They can talk, once the sting goes away, about seeing only the second triple-double in IU history.

And the Hoosiers can look toward a Christmas made all the merrier.

"We feel good about the win," Miller said. "Our non-conference résumé is done, we've gotten through it. A lot of ups and downs. Now, as we press forward after break, we'll get ready for the Big Ten gauntlet."

That resumes Jan. 3, with the Hoosiers hosting Illinois.