Quick thoughts on a 71-60 win over Kent State:
How did it happen
It was a good start for Race Thompson on Friday at MVP Arena in Albany, New York. The sixth-year senior scored five of IU’s first seven points as the Hoosiers took a 7-2 lead. After Kent State took a 9-8 lead on a Chris Payton bucket at 15:14, Indiana took the lead for the remainder of the half. After the Golden Flashes went three points closer at 26-23 on a 3-point Sincere Carry, Indiana closed the half strong with an 11-4 run for a 35-27 advantage at the break. Thompson had 13 points to lead Indiana in the first half, and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Despite being outscored 9-3 in the first 20 minutes on second chance points, Indiana’s lead was comfortable as it kept Kent State just 10 for 38 shooting from the field.
The Hoosiers had a strong start to the second half and pushed the lead to 11 at 40-29 on a quick Thompson dunk. At 4:10, Indiana’s lead was 45-31 on a Jackson-Davis bucket. The lead was pushed to 15 points at 54-39 on a second chance from Malik Reneau with 11:57 remaining. The Golden Flashes went under 10 at 65-55 with 5:51 left on a 3-pointer from VonCameron Davis, but Indiana responded with an alley-oop dunk from Jackson-Davis to take a 67-55 lead with 4 :09 to go. Another Jackson-Davis dunk gave Indiana a 14-point lead with 3:27 remaining. The Hoosiers moved from there to their first NCAA Tournament Round of 16 appearance since 2016. Indiana will face ACC regular season champion Miami (FL) on Sunday in Albany.
Outstanding 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 had 13 points and five rebounds in 36 minutes.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana had no problem generating an offense against the Kent State defense. The Golden Flashes had given up 0.96 points per possession, but the Hoosiers scored 1.1. And Indiana handled pressure from Kent State. The Hoosiers only turned him over seven times for an 11-turn percentage.
Final Individual UI Stats
Final statistics without tempo
Assembly Call Post-Game Show
Filed in: 2023 NCAA Tournament, Kent State Golden Flashes