At the Buzzer: Indiana 86, Kansas State 69

• Alex Bozich

• 18s ago

 

Quick thoughts on an 86-69 win against Kansas State:

How it happened

It was a strong start for IU basketball in Tuesday night’s game on Branch McCracken Court. The ball movement was crisp, the defense was suffocating and the crowd was a factor. By the first media timeout, Indiana led 12-4 and had already attempted 10 3-pointers. By the second media timeout at the 11:33 mark, the Hoosiers led 20-4 after two more made 3-pointers, one from Trent Sisley and one from Tayton Conerway. It looked like IU might run Kansas State right out of Assembly Hall.

But Kansas State had an answer. The Wildcats scored the next 10 points to make it 20-14 with 9:05 to play in the first half. The Wildcats got within two at 22-20 and again at 26-24, but the final 4:46 of the half belonged to the Hoosiers. IU closed the opening 20 minutes with a 13-3 run to claim a 39-27 halftime lead. The Hoosiers held Kansas State to just 33.3 percent shooting and only .69 points per possession. Lamar Wilkerson, Trent Sisley and Tayton Conerway each had eight first-half points to pace the Hoosiers.

Out of the break, Indiana blitzed Kansas State. The Hoosiers put a 10-2 run on the Wildcats, growing the lead to 20 at 49-29 and forcing Jerome Tang to use a timeout. Reed Bailey was huge in the run, scoring six of the 10 points. By the under-12 media timeout, the Hoosiers led 61-44, as the Wildcats couldn’t get the stops they needed to cut into the lead. Through the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, IU was 9-for-12 from the floor.

After Kansas State cut the lead to 10 at 67-57 on PJ Haggerty’s fourth bucket of the half, Conerway’s 3-point play pushed the lead back to 13 at 70-57 with 8:31 left. At the under-eight media timeout, IU’s lead was 72-59 and the Hoosiers extended the cushion to 15 at 78-63 by the final media timeout with 3:59 to play. Wilkerson’s 3-pointer with 2:02 left stretched the lead to 23 points as IU cruised to its sixth straight win to begin the Darian DeVries era.

Standout performers

Bailey led IU with 21 points, including a 13-for-15 mark from the free-throw line. Conerway added 19 points, Wilkerson had 14 points and Sisley finished with 12.

Statistics that stand out

It was a stout defensive effort for Indiana, which limited Kansas State to just .91 points per possession, a season-low for the Wildcats.

Up next for IU

Indiana concludes its five-game homestand on Saturday against Bethune Cookman at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Wildcats are 2-5 and have lost their last two games against Jacksonville and Stony Brook. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on BTN.

Final IU individual statistics

Final tempo-free statistics

Assembly Call postgame show

See More: Commentary, Kansas State Wildcats