Wednesday, November 17
Bloomington, Ind.
9:00 PM
Indiana University
3-0,0-0Big Ten
76
vs
74
St. John's
2-1,0-0Big East
1
2
F
St. John's (NY)
27
47
74
Indiana
39
37
76
Hoosiers Edge Out St. John’s 76-74
11/17/2021 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson softly punched the air from a sideline walk.
The Gavitt Games cliffhanger was over, big plays were made, a ferocious St. John's rally was squelched.
Indiana had survived 76-74 at rocking Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Wednesday night..
"We didn't crack," Woodson said. "We made winning plays down the stretch."
A 14-point lead dissolved into a pair of crunch-time ties before the Hoosiers (3-0) found a way.
"It gives us confidence," forward Race Thompson said. "Last year, we struggled to close out games. Like Coach Woodson says, we're not doing that anymore."
Contributions came everywhere you looked, from guys you expected (Trayce Jackson-Davis had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his 24th career double-double; Thompson had 15 and five) to guys maybe you didn't (freshman guard Tamar Bates had 11 points; sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo had seven points and five rebounds and defended so well IU coaches pulled Jackson-Davis for him for St. John's final futile possession; sophomore guard Khristian Lander contributed a key crunch-time basket and solid point-guard play; transfer forward Miller Kopp had 12 points, his most as a Hoosier).
"Like Coach Woodson says," Jackson-Davis said, "when your name is called, you've got to be ready to play and those guys stepped up."
Added Thompson: "They bring it every day in practice. They do it every day. It's next man up. You come in ready to play. They came in and it showed."
Still, St. John's (2-1) nearly found a way.
"They punched us in the mouth early on," Red Storm coach Mike Anderson said. "We were fortunate to get into halftime only 12 down. They were making shots. They were rebounding. They were scoring at will. I thought we played kind of on our heels.
"We reversed it in the second half. Our intensity picked up on defense. We sped the game up and it gave us a chance.
"I told our guys, we didn't lose that game, we just ran out of time. They made big plays down the stretch, and we weren't able to."
IU's guard depth was tested by foul trouble and St. John's relentless pressure that switched from man to zone that only the most focused of teams could have withstood.
"They have a great coach," Woodson said. "They play hard. They hit us with everything they could hit us with -- man press, zone press, half-court zone. It's a lot to swallow. Our guys were in tune."
This was the second time IU has blown a double-digit lead.
Woodson noticed.
"I've got to do a better job when we get big leads," he said.
St. John's averaged 9.5 steals a game, more than twice IU's 4.5 average, but didn't open with full-court, trapping pressure.
That would happen in the second half.
A fast-paced start delivered a Xavier Johnson three-pointer, a Thompson steal and dunk, and a Parker Stewart three-pointer.
The Hoosier cause was helped by Posh Alexander's early foul trouble. That briefly sidelined a player averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 assists.
Bates made quick impact with a basket and a rebound as IU built an 18-10 lead after 11 minutes. In one stretch, the Red Storm was 1-for-11 from the field.
One result -- Alexander returned to action and St. John's quickly got a free throw to end a 6:44 scoring drought. A Julian Champagnie three-pointer soon followed, which was countered by a Bates three-pointer. IU led 23-14.
St. John's was hit by a flagrant 2 foul that sent Trey Galloway to the floor and an eventual meeting with team trainer Tim Garl and team doctor Larry Rink. The Hoosiers capitalized for a 27-14 lead.
Jackson-Davis led a fast break, passing to Thompson for a dunk and a 29-16 edge. The Hoosiers attacked their way to a 37-23 lead that would have been bigger if not for a pair of missed three throws and a missed layup.
IU ended the half ahead 39-27 led by Bates' 11 points in 11 minutes. The Hoosiers defended St. John's into nine turnovers and 33 percent shooting. They capitalized with 52 percent shooting and eight assists.
"He seizes the moment," Woodson said of Bates. "He's not scared of the moment. You need guys like that."
The big question -- could the Hoosiers sustain it for the final 20 minutes?
The quick answer -- no.
Not with St. John's ratcheting up the defensive pressure and Champagnie finding his Wooden Award-caliber offense (he finished with a game-high 32 points).
"We knew St. John's would make runs," Woodson said. "They keep pressing and putting the heat on. They're always in the game."
St. John's closed within five points. IU pushed it back to 10. The Red Storm cut it to three.
A Champagnie three-pointer and a pair of Alexander free throws tied it at 56-56 with nine minutes left.
Geronimo's second three-pointer of the season broke the tie. Lander followed with a layup to put Indiana ahead 62-56 with 7:49 remaining.
St. John's rallied for a 65-65 tie. Jackson-Davis and Thompson scored inside for a four-point Hoosier cushion.
With 21.5 seconds left, Thompson rattled in a basket to beat the shot clock for a 75-72 IU lead.
Champagnie's jumper with 11 seconds left made it a one-point game. Johnson was fouled with 8.4 seconds left and made one of two free throws.
IU would survive.
"At the end of the day," Woodson said, "this is a good win."
"I'm happy with where we are. We're competing. Our defense was solid as hell."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson softly punched the air from a sideline walk.
The Gavitt Games cliffhanger was over, big plays were made, a ferocious St. John's rally was squelched.
Indiana had survived 76-74 at rocking Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Wednesday night..
"We didn't crack," Woodson said. "We made winning plays down the stretch."
A 14-point lead dissolved into a pair of crunch-time ties before the Hoosiers (3-0) found a way.
"It gives us confidence," forward Race Thompson said. "Last year, we struggled to close out games. Like Coach Woodson says, we're not doing that anymore."
Contributions came everywhere you looked, from guys you expected (Trayce Jackson-Davis had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his 24th career double-double; Thompson had 15 and five) to guys maybe you didn't (freshman guard Tamar Bates had 11 points; sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo had seven points and five rebounds and defended so well IU coaches pulled Jackson-Davis for him for St. John's final futile possession; sophomore guard Khristian Lander contributed a key crunch-time basket and solid point-guard play; transfer forward Miller Kopp had 12 points, his most as a Hoosier).
"Like Coach Woodson says," Jackson-Davis said, "when your name is called, you've got to be ready to play and those guys stepped up."
Added Thompson: "They bring it every day in practice. They do it every day. It's next man up. You come in ready to play. They came in and it showed."
Still, St. John's (2-1) nearly found a way.
"They punched us in the mouth early on," Red Storm coach Mike Anderson said. "We were fortunate to get into halftime only 12 down. They were making shots. They were rebounding. They were scoring at will. I thought we played kind of on our heels.
"We reversed it in the second half. Our intensity picked up on defense. We sped the game up and it gave us a chance.
"I told our guys, we didn't lose that game, we just ran out of time. They made big plays down the stretch, and we weren't able to."
IU's guard depth was tested by foul trouble and St. John's relentless pressure that switched from man to zone that only the most focused of teams could have withstood.
"They have a great coach," Woodson said. "They play hard. They hit us with everything they could hit us with -- man press, zone press, half-court zone. It's a lot to swallow. Our guys were in tune."
This was the second time IU has blown a double-digit lead.
Woodson noticed.
"I've got to do a better job when we get big leads," he said.
St. John's averaged 9.5 steals a game, more than twice IU's 4.5 average, but didn't open with full-court, trapping pressure.
That would happen in the second half.
A fast-paced start delivered a Xavier Johnson three-pointer, a Thompson steal and dunk, and a Parker Stewart three-pointer.
The Hoosier cause was helped by Posh Alexander's early foul trouble. That briefly sidelined a player averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 assists.
Bates made quick impact with a basket and a rebound as IU built an 18-10 lead after 11 minutes. In one stretch, the Red Storm was 1-for-11 from the field.
One result -- Alexander returned to action and St. John's quickly got a free throw to end a 6:44 scoring drought. A Julian Champagnie three-pointer soon followed, which was countered by a Bates three-pointer. IU led 23-14.
St. John's was hit by a flagrant 2 foul that sent Trey Galloway to the floor and an eventual meeting with team trainer Tim Garl and team doctor Larry Rink. The Hoosiers capitalized for a 27-14 lead.
Jackson-Davis led a fast break, passing to Thompson for a dunk and a 29-16 edge. The Hoosiers attacked their way to a 37-23 lead that would have been bigger if not for a pair of missed three throws and a missed layup.
IU ended the half ahead 39-27 led by Bates' 11 points in 11 minutes. The Hoosiers defended St. John's into nine turnovers and 33 percent shooting. They capitalized with 52 percent shooting and eight assists.
"He seizes the moment," Woodson said of Bates. "He's not scared of the moment. You need guys like that."
The big question -- could the Hoosiers sustain it for the final 20 minutes?
The quick answer -- no.
Not with St. John's ratcheting up the defensive pressure and Champagnie finding his Wooden Award-caliber offense (he finished with a game-high 32 points).
"We knew St. John's would make runs," Woodson said. "They keep pressing and putting the heat on. They're always in the game."
St. John's closed within five points. IU pushed it back to 10. The Red Storm cut it to three.
A Champagnie three-pointer and a pair of Alexander free throws tied it at 56-56 with nine minutes left.
Geronimo's second three-pointer of the season broke the tie. Lander followed with a layup to put Indiana ahead 62-56 with 7:49 remaining.
St. John's rallied for a 65-65 tie. Jackson-Davis and Thompson scored inside for a four-point Hoosier cushion.
With 21.5 seconds left, Thompson rattled in a basket to beat the shot clock for a 75-72 IU lead.
Champagnie's jumper with 11 seconds left made it a one-point game. Johnson was fouled with 8.4 seconds left and made one of two free throws.
IU would survive.
"At the end of the day," Woodson said, "this is a good win."
"I'm happy with where we are. We're competing. Our defense was solid as hell."
Team Stats
SJU
IND
FG%
.431
.517
3FG%
.333
.333
FT%
.789
.526
RB
34
34
TO
15
16
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
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Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
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Guard
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Guard
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