Three Score 20 as IU Returns to Winning Ways

Friday, January 23

Piscataway, N.J.

6:00 PM

Indiana University

13-7,4-5Big Ten

Rutgers

9-11,2-7Big Ten

Indiana

Rutgers

1/23/2026 7:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – This was the Nick Dorn coach Darian DeVries had talked about, the sharp-shooter who could take over games if given the chance.

Friday night at Rutgers, the junior guard got that chance. The Scarlet Knights paid a big price.

The 6-foot-7 Dorn, who scored 662 points with 134 made 3-pointers in two seasons at Elon before transferring to IU last spring, had 23 points in his first Indiana start, including a career-record tying six 3-pointers in an 82-59 victory.

The Hoosiers (13-7 overall, 4-5 in the Big Ten) snapped a four-game losing streak.

"I was proud of the guys," coach Darian DeVries told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. "Big Ten road wins are hard to get. There are a lot of teams that have come in here and gotten beat.

"Our guys, from start to finish, really controlled the game. They set the tone with their effort and intentionality with some of the things we'd talked about. To see it break out and get a badly needed win was important. They've continued to fight. They've been great."

Dorn was part of IU's triple scoring threat Rutgers (9-11, 2-7) couldn't contain. Forward Tucker DeVries had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Guard Lamar Wilkerson had 27 points and five rebounds. Then there was forward Sam Alexis, who had 10 rebounds and six blocks along with his four points.

Dorn started in place of Tayton Conerway, recovering from an ankle sprain suffered last Saturday against Iowa. Conerway came in and totaled six points, one rebound, and one assist in 16 minutes.

"We got some shot making going," Darian DeVries told Fisher during the post-game radio show. "Tucker got going early, then Lamar got going, then Nick got going. Sam really covered a lot of ground. With his blocks, his activity, his motor, he was big tonight.

"It was a great effort by everybody."

The Hoosiers made 15 3-pointers, had 15 assists, and only five turnovers. They shot 50 percent from the field and won the rebound battle, 40-27. They held Rutgers to 36 percent shooting.

"We only had one turnover at halftime," Darian DeVries told Fischer. "To finish with just five was great. Our guys did a great job of executing, not only sets, but break down into our free motion. They were very strong with the ball. Defensively, we got stops that led into transition opportunities. It was a great overall performance."

Rebounding had been a problem during the losing streak, but not on Friday night.

"We wanted to be aggressive on the offensive glass," Darian DeVries told Fisher. "We thought there would be some opportunities there. We had a goal of 15. We got 11. It was a good effort. "

Tucker DeVries extended the shooting accuracy he'd displayed in the second half at Michigan three days earlier. He scored 10 straight Hoosier points in the first half to help IU take leads as large as 17 points. He had plenty of help with Wilkerson and Dorn, who also reached double figures in scoring in the opening 20 minutes.

An 11-3 first-half run gave the Hoosiers early separation they never lost.

IU opened with a 5-0 lead on Tucker DeVries' 3-pointer and Wilkerson's basket. They paced the Hoosiers to leads of 20-11 and 24-14. A Tucker DeVries 3-pointer made it 33-19 with six minutes left in the first half.

Indiana kept up the pressure for a 47-32 halftime lead. Tucker DeVries had 16 points. Dorn had 14. Wilkerson had 13. The Hoosiers had eight assists, committed just one turnover and held Rutgers to 37 percent shooting. Their lead would have been bigger if not for the 21 points from the Scarlet Knights' Tariq Francis.

In the first five second-half minutes, IU built a 60-40 lead and cruised from there.

The Hoosiers will host No. 4 Purdue Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

"I love the team mentality these guys have," Darian DeVries told Fisher. "They continue to give us great effort.

"We have so many opportunities in the Big Ten. This was one. Now we have to get ready for another one at home. It will be a big game for us. We're excited to get home and get our prep ready."