EVANSVILLE, Ind. – IU basketball wrapped up exhibition play with a hard-fought 79-74 win against Western Kentucky on Sunday at the Ford Center.
The Hoosiers trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half before a late run propelled them past the Hilltoppers. IU won all three of its exhibition games and opens the regular season against Eastern Illinois on November 2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s win:
The bench won the game for IU
Darian DeVries said postgame that he planned to go deeper into his bench in Sunday’s exhibition.
Overall, the Hoosiers played 11 of their 13 scholarship players in the win, with only Justin Monden and Clemens Sokolov not entering the game.
While it wasn’t surprising that the bench got a chance even in a close game, the second unit played the crunch-time minutes for the Hoosiers.
In fact, DeVries played exclusively with the bench in the game’s final minutes. It’s no exaggeration to say IU likely would have lost had he not.
“We wanted to get those guys in, but our goal was to win the game from the jump,” DeVries explained. “This was not a, ‘hey, we’re just going to play guys and do this.’ We wanted to win the game, and we weren’t getting it done.
“I did want to make sure to get them some quality minutes in the game, and they came in and took advantage of it. I thought the game really flipped when they came in, brought energy, and simply played harder. I thought the ball movement got better.”
The closing group for IU on Sunday included Sam Alexis, Bryce Lindsay and three freshmen, Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz and Prince-Alexander Moody.
With its bench on the floor over the game’s final 6:22, IU outscored Western Kentucky 20-11.
Most of Indiana’s starting lineup struggled
Aside from an 11-point effort by Jaeden Mustaf, it was an afternoon to forget for the rest of IU’s starters.
Mustaf was one of three Hoosiers to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
The rest of IU’s starting lineup – Markus Burton, Aiden Sherrell, Samet Yigitoglu and Darren Harris – combined to shoot 2-for-20.
Burton, Sherrell, Yigitoglu and Harris combined to score 11 points.
Their struggles, combined with a strong second-half bench performance, led DeVries to roll with his second unit exclusively down the stretch.
The starting lineup had an off night and failed to match Western Kentucky’s intensity and aggressiveness for most of the game.
“It’s a great lesson for us,” DeVries said after the game. Because in basketball, it doesn’t matter where you’re at. A team that plays harder is going to give themselves the best chance every night. And that’s just the facts, that’s the reality of it. And I thought we learned that pretty quickly here tonight.”
Bryce Lindsey shines again with strong offensive output
For the second straight exhibition game, Bryce Lindsay was IU’s most productive offensive player.
Lindsay exploded for a game-high 26 points in last Sunday’s exhibition win against North Carolina at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Against WKU, he again paced the Hoosiers in scoring with 20 points.
Lindsay shot 6-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and was 4-for-6 from the free-throw line.
With Burton struggling to find his production in exhibition play, Lindsay has been a steadying presence for Indiana off the bench.
Indiana got to the free-throw line frequently, but didn’t capitalize enough
Western Kentucky’s defensive aggressiveness kept the Hoosiers off balance offensively for much of Sunday’s game.
The Hilltoppers disrupted IU’s offense by bumping drivers and frequently deploying traps.
But IU also got to the free-throw line often because of Western Kentucky’s physicality and tendency to commit fouls.
In total, the Hilltoppers were whistled for 29 fouls and the Hoosiers had a parade to the line all afternoon.
Unfortunately, Indiana didn’t convert on the opportunities often enough.
IU finished 23-for-37 from the free-throw line, for only 62.1 percent.
Sam Alexis showed why he’ll be so valuable for IU
While the courts will ultimately decide his eligibility, Sam Alexis showed Sunday why he’s a valuable piece in the IU frontcourt.
If Alexis can remain eligible, it is a significant development for Indiana.
The 6-foot-9 big man can play with Aiden Sherrell, Samet Yigitoglu or excel as IU’s only big man, as he did down the stretch on Sunday.
He’s the team’s best lob threat, an efficient finisher and a strong shot-stopper who cleans up the defensive glass.
Alexis finished Sunday’s exhibition with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting, plus five rebounds and four blocks in a team-high 25 minutes. He made both of his free-throw attempts.
