Quick thoughts from the 71-60 win against Kent State:
How did it happen
It was a strong start for Race Thompson on Friday at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York. The sixth-year senior scored five of IU’s first seven points as the Hoosiers jumped out to a 7-2 lead. After Kent State took a 9-8 lead on Chris Payton’s bucket at the 15:14 mark, Indiana took the lead for the remainder of the half. After the Golden Flashes got within three at 26-23 on a 3-pointer by a bona fide carrier, Indiana finished the half strong with an 11-4 run to take a 35-27 advantage into the break. Thompson led Indiana with 13 points in the first half, and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal. Despite being outscored 9-3 in the opening 20 minutes on second-chance points, Indiana’s lead was comfortable as it held Kent State to just 10-38 shooting from the field.
The Hoosiers started the second half solid, pushing the lead to 11 at 40-29 on a Thompson rush. By the 16:10 mark, Indiana’s lead was 45-31 on a Jackson-Davis bucket. The lead was pushed to 15 points at 54-39 on Malik Reneau’s second chance layup with 11:57 left. The Golden Flashes got within 10 at 65-55 with 5:51 to play on VonCameron Davis’ 3-pointer, but Indiana answered with a Jackson-Davis alley-oop dunk to take a 67-55 lead with 4:09 left. go. Another Jackson-Davis dunk gave Indiana a 14-point lead with 3:27 left. From there, the Hoosiers cruised to their first NCAA Tournament round of 32 appearance since 2016. Indiana will face ACC regular season champion Miami (FL) on Sunday in Albany.
A great performer
Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five blocked shots and a steal in 35 minutes. The five blocked shots set an IU NCAA Tournament record. Thompson added 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes. Miller Kopp collected 13 points and five rebounds in 36 minutes.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana had no problem getting the offense going against Kent State’s defense. The Golden Flashes had given up 0.96 points per possession, but the Hoosiers scored 1.1. And Indiana handled Kent State’s pressure. The Hoosiers turned it over just seven times and had an 11 percent turnover rate.
Final IU individual stats
The ultimate off-tempo stat
Assembly Call post-game show
Filed Under: 2023 NCAA Tournament Kent State Golden Flashes