Indiana Cruises to an 84-54 Victory over Gannon

Tuesday, October 29

Bloomington, Ind.

7:00 PM

Indiana University

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Gannon University (Exhibition)

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Gannon

Indiana

Indiana Cruises to an 84-54 Victory over Gannon

10/29/2019 9:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- We had a Rob Phinisee sighting.

Better yet, we had a Rob Phinisee thriving, and if it came in limited doses Tuesday night, this is no time to quibble.

Indiana's sophomore guard, who has battled an abdominal injury for the last month, showed flashes of difference-making potential in the 84-54 exhibition victory over Gannon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

He totaled five points and a steal in 14 minutes.

Not bad for a guy not expected to play.

"It helps because he has experience," sophomore forward Damezi Anderson said. "When he's out there, it makes everything easier for everybody."

Coach Archie Miller said Phinisee had practiced just once since Oct. 4, and that was on Monday. He wanted to play Phinisee ahead of next Tuesday's season opener against Western Illinois.

"He did really well in practice. If Rob doesn't get a little bit of action (Tuesday night), you don't know how he feels after a game.

"The plan was to play him eight to 12 minutes. The fact he went out there in what was just his second workout in two to three weeks … He's a big part of what we're doing."

IU played without guards Devonte Green and Al Durham. Green is dealing with a hamstring injury. Durham was banged up during last week's scrimmage against Marquette.

As a result, freshman guard Armaan Franklin carried a big backcourt load.

Recruited as a shooting guard, he's had to learn the point-guard role by necessity. That included some brief walk-through instruction Tuesday afternoon.

"He hasn't learned one point-guard play," Miller said.

Still, Franklin was good for 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes, a strong follow up to his 14 points in 29 minutes during last week's closed scrimmage against Marquette in Indianapolis.

"Armaan has surprised me," Miller said. "He's been very good.

"He's best suited to playing with a guy who's running our team. We're keeping it it simpler for him. It's not like we're running a thousand things.

"He's smart. He does what you ask him to do. But he'll be at his best when he's with somebody."

Then there was Anderson, who repeated of his scrimmage guard duties. He totaled 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. He was 2-for-4 from three-point range, 4-for-6 overall.

"I've just got to contribute and score," he said.

Forward Justin Smith was too much for Gannon, going 5-for-5 from the field and 8-for-9 from the line for 18 points.

"I was letting the game come to me. I wasn't forcing anything. The way our offense is, it's free flowing. If it happens, it happens."

Against Gannon, it happened, although not on the boards. The 6-7 Smith had just two rebounds.

"He didn't force anything," Miller said. "His teammates did a good job of finding him.

"He's good in transition. He stepped up at the line and drew seven fouls, but we have to get him rebounding better."

Miller has pushed heralded freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis hard to rebound better. The 6-9 forward delivered nine rebounds, plus 12 points. He was a strong freshman complement to Franklin.

"They played confident," Smith said. "They were aggressive and didn't shy away from the competition. They really went at it."

Free throw shooting struggles surfaced in the scrimmage. It was better on Tuesday night. Indiana went 21-for-30 from the line (70 percent).

This was important because IU will attack the basket. Miller insists on it. He wants the Hoosiers living from the line if they can.

Wait.

He wants them thriving from the line.

"Nothing is more important for this group than getting to the foul line," he said. "Nothing. With what we do and how we establish an identity offensively, you want to put extreme pressure at all times on the basket.

"I can't think of a bigger attribute than having a team that aspires to be one of the best teams in the country in terms of drawing fouls."

On Tuesday night IU pushed the pace and Gannon, a NCAA Division II program out of Pennsylvania, struggled early to stop it. With Anderson opening 2-for-2 from the field for five points, the Hoosiers jumped to a series of double-digit leads.

Miller rotated players to find effective combinations, and it sometimes resulted in inconsistent play.

"The first half was a little awkward," Smith said. "We were playing different lineups and new guys. They were seeing what a game atmosphere was like."

Added Miller: "My hope is as we substitute, we get very little drop off. The game changed with our substitution pattern. We have to look at that. Guys had not practiced the positions they were playing."

Gannon capitalized to take a pair of one-point leads before IU surged to a 37-29 halftime lead. Phinisee scored the final five points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.

The second half was all Indiana.

"Once we got into our groove," Smith said, "we got it going."

The Hoosiers opened 7-for-9 from the field for a 53-36 lead in the opening five minutes, and cruised from there.

"Defensively we have a long way to go," Miller said. "We'll get better as we get healthier.

"I'm not naive to think this team is where it can be. I'm excited about our depth. Our new guys help add firepower.

"Now we get ready to prepare for the real action."