Quick thoughts on a 74-63 loss at Rutgers:
How it happened: In desperate need of a win, Indiana delivered a dud in Piscataway Wednesday night. The Hoosiers started strong, leading 23-8 in the first half and had a chance to expand it to 17 when Khristian Lander had a blind eye on the edge. However, Lander missed it and Geo Baker hit a 3 pointer on the other end to make it a 12 point game. That 3 of the Scarlet Knights was their first of seven makes the rest of the half, when Rutgers cleared the 15-point cushion and went into half time with a four-point lead. Rutgers started the game 0-for-7 from 3, but grounded seven of the last eight attempts from a distance in the first half.
The momentum that Rutgers built in the first half was carried over to the second. Archie Miller quickly had to use a time-out, as the Scarlet Knights extended the lead to seven at 40-33 with 18:49 to play. The Hoosiers never came in six the rest of the way, as Rutgers extended the lead to 20 at 5:49. At various points in the second half, it appears that the Hoosiers have conceded for the first time this season. There was no struggle. The loss, Indiana’s ninth in the conference game, further shatters the program’s hopes of an NCAA tournament berth in a season where that was the base expectation.
Notable performerTrayce Jackson-Davis scored a team-high 21 points and Al Durham Jr. added 20 points in the loss.
Statistics that stand out: After giving up only eight runs in the first 12:02 PM, Indiana surrendered 66 points to Rutgers in the last 27:58 of the game.
Final Individual IU Statistics
Latest tempo-free statistics
Filed with: Rutgers Scarlet Knights