At the Buzzer: Indiana 83, Syracuse 80

Quick thoughts on an 83-80 win against Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse:

How it happened

Underwhelming. That’s the best way to describe Indiana’s first half against Syracuse. Save for an 8-0 scoring run, the Hoosiers were outplayed by the Orange in the opening 20 minutes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana’s offense was too stagnant and the Hoosiers shot just 3-for-14 on 3-pointers. Indiana did hit the offensive glass hard, rebounding 43 percent of its missed shots, but it translated into only three second-chance points. Syracuse, meanwhile, shot 5-for-9 from 3, outscored IU by two from the free-throw line, and went into the break with a 38-34 halftime lead. Markus Burton was IU’s standout in the first half, leading the Hoosiers with nine points.

The Hoosiers were more engaged defensively out of the break and outscored Syracuse 14-7 in the first five minutes to grab a 48-45 lead at the under-16 media timeout. Darren Harris was pivotal during the run, scoring the first eight points of the half for IU. But the lead, which grew to five points, was short-lived. Syracuse freshman guard Ryan Moesch started to pick apart the IU defense and by the 8:04 mark, his 3-pointer gave the Orange the lead at 61-59, forcing a timeout by Darian DeVries. Syracuse extended the lead to five at 66-61 on three free throws by Kiyan Anthony, but IU answered with an 8-2 run to grab a 69-68 lead at the final media timeout. From there, the Hoosiers pulled out a narrow win thanks to key free-throw shooting. With the game tied at 74, the Hoosiers made seven straight free throws – three by Harris, two by Samet Yigitoglu and two by Bryce Lindsay – over the final 1:14 to pull out a narrow 3-point win.

Standout performers

Four Hoosiers finished in double figures. Harris and Burton each scored 20 points while Jaeden Mustaf added 18. Lindsay added 11 points. Yigitoglu led IU with 10 rebounds.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana finished 22-for-26 from the line (84.6 percent), 9-for-25 on 3s (36 percent) and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. The defense, however, still has a long way to go. IU allowed Syracuse to shoot 50.9 percent from the field and score 1.14 points per possession.