Indiana (8-2, 1-1) snapped its two-game losing streak with a blowout win over Penn State (8-2, 0-1) behind an offensive explosion led by Lamar Wilkerson, who finished with a record-setting 44 points.
Wilkerson
alone gave Penn State all it could handle, singlehandedly outscoring the Nittany Lions for almost 17 of the 20 minutes in the first half. Unfortunately for Mike Rhoades and company, Tayton Conerway and Reed Bailey also reached double-digits for Indiana in the first half, leading to a 32-point Hoosier lead entering halftime.
Conerway and Nick Dorn also got in on the first half 3-point shooting, and with Wilkerson combined for seven made threes in the first half. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers held Penn State to 2-8 shooting from deep over that same span and first eight turnovers to put the game away before it really started.
The Hoosiers, again led by Wilkerson, picked up where they left off in the second half. Wilkerson assisted Conerway on a layup, then hit another pair of threes to put the Indiana lead to 36.
Indiana didn’t reach 113 points with its 3-point shooting alone, with Bailey finishing second in team scoring with 18 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line. It was his first time coming off the bench for the Hoosiers, and he looked like he played with increased urgency in a reserve roll.
Overall, five Indiana players reached double digits, as Conerway finished with 17, Tucker DeVries with 12, and Nick Dorn with 13 in the runaway victory. As has been the case in Indiana’s best games, Indiana also moved the ball well, tallying 30 assists on 42 made buckets.
This was the bounce-back performance head coach Darian DeVries needed after suffering his first two losses at Indiana, dropping two in a row to Minnesota and Louisville and falling out of the AP Top 25.
Coach DeVries’ group will be back in action this Saturday on the road against Kentucky.
