At the Buzzer: Indiana 81, Xavier 79

  • 11/18/2022 8:20 pm in

Quick thoughts on an 81-79 win at Xavier:

How it happened

Indiana was on its heels early at the Cintas Center. The Musketeers, clearly amped up for their first marquee game of the season, came out firing offensively. Xavier led by as many as nine in the first half thanks to a hot shooting performance. The Musketeers scored 1.12 points per possession in the first 20 minutes and shot 50 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The Hoosiers, however, fought back once Xavier threw its offensive punch. Trayce Jackson-Davis was unstoppable in the opening half, going for 17 points in 17 minutes. Despite a poor defensive first half, Indiana went into the locker room trailing by just two at 40-38.

The Hoosiers were crisp to start the second half and built an eight-point lead at 54-46 by the 14:29 mark. But Malik Reneau was whistled for a technical foul after scoring a bucket and Xavier hit both free throws and nailed a 3-pointer to make it a 3-point game by the 13:49 mark. Xavier tied it at 57 on a layup by Jack Nunge and then again at 60 on a 3-pointer by Adam Kunkel with 9:47 remaining. The Musketeers regained the lead on a Zach Freemantle jump shot with 7:50 to play. After a Freemantle dunk with 6:35 left, Indiana went on a 6-0 run to grab a 71-66 lead, forcing Xavier to take a timeout. The run was sparked by Xavier Johnson, who hit two free throws and then had a steal and layup. Indiana led 73-66 at the final media timeout. Miller Kopp, who struggled for most of the game, hit a 3-pointer to give Indiana a 78-70 lead with 2:25 to play.

The Musketeers, however, weren’t done. Xavier scored the next five points to make it 78-75 with 1:51 to go. Kopp hit two free throws to make it 80-75 with 1:50 to play. On the ensuing possession, Johnson fouled Souley Boum, who made one of two free throws to make it 80-76 with 1:44 left. Jalen Hood-Schifino missed a jump shot with 1:16 to play and Xavier called a timeout with 1:10 to play. Out of the timeout, Boum knocked down a 3-pointer with 56.5 seconds to go. Indiana turned it over with just over 34 seconds to play, but the Hoosiers regained possession on a held ball with 24 seconds to go. Xavier fouled Reneau with 12.9 seconds to go. He missed both free throws. Kunkel missed a layup with just over four seconds to go and Johnson grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Johnson made one of two free throws and IU escaped with an 81-79 win.

Standout performers

It was a dominant performance from Jackson-Davis, who scored a game-high 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting in 37 minutes. The preseason All-American also had three blocked shots. Johnson added 23 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana outscored Xavier 15-9 in points off of turnovers and 50-40 in the paint.

Final IU individual statistics

Final tempo-free statistics

Assembly Call postgame show

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