At the Buzzer: Indiana 77, Minnesota 47

Lamar Wilkerson attempts a 3-pointer against Minnesota.

Quick thoughts on a 77-47 win against Minnesota:

How it happened

It was the Sam Alexis show in the first half at Assembly Hall. Minnesota, with limited depth, couldn’t keep the ball out of the paint despite playing zone. The Hoosiers found Alexis repeatedly in the opening 20 minutes and he shot 8-for-9 from the field and added a free throw for 17 points. Indiana led by 14 early at 20-6, but Minnesota battled back as the defensive intensity waned. The Gophers got within three at 22-19 before Indiana closed the half on a 21-9 run to claim a comfortable 43-28 lead at intermission. Indiana shot 18-for-29 from the field, including a 6-for-13 mark on 3-pointers and scored 1.39 points per possession. Lamar Wilkerson added nine points and Nick Dorn had eight.

Indiana had a solid start to the second half, extending its lead to 18 points at 52-34 by the first media timeout at the 14:42 mark. At the under-12 media timeout, the Hoosiers led 55-40, but Wilkerson was on the bench after picking up his third foul. Out of the timeout, back-to-back baskets by Reed Bailey and Conor Enright extended the IU lead to 59-40. A Dorn 3-pointer extended the lead to 62-40 with 9:43 remaining. The lead stretched to 25 on a Tucker DeVries 3-pointer with 8:25 remaining. A Wilkerson bucket at the 7:02 mark made it 67-40 Hoosiers, effectively putting the game out of reach. The win, Indiana’s ninth in Big Ten play, improved the Hoosiers to 18-12 overall ahead of the regular season finale at Ohio State.

Standout performers

Alexis led Indiana with 23 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. Wilkerson added 16 points in 30 minutes and was 4-for-7 on 3s. DeVries added 13 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes and Dorn had 11 points in 28 minutes.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana held Minnesota to just .77 points per possession, shot 57.4 percent from the field and was 10-for-24 on 3s. The Hoosiers won the points off of turnovers battle 17-3.