Quick thoughts about a 74-63 loss at Rutgers:
How did this happen: Desperately needing a victory, Indiana failed on Wednesday night at Piscataway. The Hoosiers started out strong and led 23-8 in the first half and had the opportunity to raise to 17, when Khristian Lander had a chance to look at point-blank range. Lander, however, missed and Geo Baker hit a 3-point ball at the other end to make a 12-point game. That 3 of the Scarlet Knights was the first of seven for the rest of the semester, while Rutgers erased the 15-point cushion and went into the break with a four-point advantage. Rutgers started game 0-of-7 out of 3, but knocked out seven of his eight final attempts away in the first half.
The momentum that Rutgers built in the first half was carried over to the second. Archie Miller had to use a timeout quickly, as the Scarlet Knights increased the lead to seven in 40-33 with 18:49 to play. The Hoosiers reached no less than six the rest of the way, as Rutgers extended the lead to 20 at the 5:49 mark. At various points in the second half, it seems that the Hoosiers gave in for the first time this season. There was no fight. The defeat, the ninth in Indiana at the conference, further undermines the hopes of the program for a place in the NCAA tournament in a season when that was the basic expectation.
Featured Performer: Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 21 points and Al Durham Jr. added 20 points in the loss.
Stands that stand out: After allowing only eight points in the first 12:02, Indiana gave 66 points to Rutgers in the final 27:58 of the game.
Final individual UI statistics:
Final statistics without pace:
Filed to: Rutgers Scarlet Knights