For the first time in Darian Devries very brief tenure as Indiana head coach, his team was tested for forty minutes today. The Hoosiers passed the test, though, surviving an upset scare to beat Incarnate Word 69-61 to move to 4-0 on the season .
Signs of the offensive struggle that was to come were there early for Indiana. After an easy lob to Reed Bailey for the opening points of the game, it took Indiana over two minutes to score again, when Tayton Conerway cut for a layup that brought Indiana within two at 6-4.
Advertisement
The problem was not just that Indiana’s shots weren’t falling. Early on, the Cardinals were dominating the offensive glass for extra looks that kept Indiana from possessing the ball. Twice in the first half alone, Incarnate Word had possessions with multiple offensive rebounds.
Bringing in Sam Alexis and Trent Sisley helped Indiana regain control, for the middle portion of the game at least. The two combined for 20 of Indiana’s 35 first half points, bringing physicality and interior scoring that the team was lacking today.
With this formula, Indiana was able to get to almost a 20-point lead in the first half, leading 48-29 with 12:47 left to play. Then the offensive struggles reared their head again, while the Cardinals refused to miss.
With under two to play, Indiana led by as few as five points. Following a couple of missed free throws from Tucker DeVries, one of the most dependable shots on the roster, it looked like things were going to get ugly for Indiana.
Advertisement
Then the Hoosiers came up with a big defensive rebound, got some made free throws from Lamar Wilkerson and Sam Alexis, and Indiana avoided the upset.
By the final whistle, Alexis led Indiana with 16 points, followed by 14 from DeVries and 10 from Sisley.
