Five takeaways from IU basketball’s win against Siena

Photos from IU basketball's 81-60 win against Siena at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

IU basketball completed non-conference play with an 81-60 win against Siena on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Saints:

Lamar Wilkerson delivers again

Through 13 games, Sam Houston transfer Lamar Wilkerson has been IU’s best – and most consistent – player.

Wilkerson recorded his fifth KenPom game MVP of the season in Monday’s win against Siena, scoring a game-high 23 points on a 7-for-15 shooting performance from the field and a 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line.

The Ashdown, Arkansas, native is now 45-for-105 this season on 3-pointers and is shooting 52.1 percent on 2s.

Over Indiana’s last four games, Wilkerson is 20-for-39 from beyond the arc, good for 51.2 percent.

Beyond the scoring, Wilkerson added seven rebounds and four assists in IU’s final non-conference game.

Nick Dorn continues to pour in 3s

Another game, another strong shooting display from junior wing Nick Dorn.

The 6-foot-7 transfer from Elon shot 3-for-6 from distance in Monday’s win, scoring in double figures for the fifth time in six games.

Dorn is now 21-for-47 from distance this season, good for 44.7 percent.

After offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot, Dorn got off to a slow start. In his first four games in an IU uniform, he scored just 15 points, but he has emerged in recent weeks as one of the team’s most consistent scorers.

Dorn’s scoring average is up to 8.2 points in 15.8 minutes per game and he continues to make a strong case for more minutes when Big Ten play resumes in early January.

Tayton Conerway gets downhill in the second half

Indiana was outscored by five points in the second half, but the stellar play of Tayton Conerway ensured the lead never got below 15 points.

Conerway scored 12 of his 16 points after halftime as Siena failed to keep him out of the lane.

“We seen there was a couple people that we could attack off the dribble,” Conerway said postgame. “Coach believed me in and thought I could get by the first one, and I had some teammates that set some good screens and got me open, and it just happened to work out good.”

The Troy transfer was 6-for-9 on 2s in Monday’s win, bringing his total to 46-for-67 (68.7 percent) from inside the arc this season.

Conerway also continues to rack up steals through the first 13 games. Last season’s Sun Belt player of the year had two steals in the Siena win and has 23 through 13 games for an average of 1.8 per contest.

Indiana made Siena’s best player a non-factor

It was a nightmare performance for Siena’s most important player on Monday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Senior point guard Justice Shoats, one of three preseason unanimous All-MAAC selections, never got going against the Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers hounded and frustrated Shoats, who went scoreless for the first time since Nov. 26, 2024.

The 5-foot-11 point guard shot 0-for-4 from the field, 0-for-3 from the free-throw line and finished with three turnovers. He didn’t have an assist after compiling 20 in Siena’s three games before Monday.

To its credit, Indiana has been able to hound opposing point guards in several games this season. The Hoosiers also had success in defending PJ Haggerty in a win against Kansas State and limited Mikel Brown to nine points in a loss against Louisville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“I think our ball toughness is where it starts,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “I think our perimeter guys do a really good job of making things difficult and challenging for guys to not just play freely. They’ve really bought into that and given us great effort there.”

Hoosiers struggle to defend Siena’s freshman post player

In a defensive performance in the post that doesn’t inspire confidence for what lies ahead in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers struggled to defend Siena’s Francis Folefac.

Folefac, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound freshman from Lanham, Maryland, had his way with Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey down low.

He scored a career-high 19 points and got to the free-throw line 11 times before fouling out in 33 minutes.

Folefac deserves credit for his stellar play in just his fourth college start, but the Hoosiers will need to be much better defensively down low in league play.

See More: Five Takeaways, Siena Saints