Indiana basketball played host to Winthrop inside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon in its final non-conference game of the regular season.
It was a hotly contested first half as the Hoosiers led the Eagles 41-37 heading into the halftime break.
The Eagles refused to go gentle into the night in the second half, cutting the Hoosier lead down to one with three minutes left, but Indiana went on a 6-0 run to put the game on ice, ultimately leading to a 77-68 victory for Indiana.
Indiana finishes 9-2 in non-conference play and reenter conference play with a 1-1 record.
Here's how it happened on an abnormally warm late December afternoon in Bloomington.
RICE LEADS THE WAYÂ
When Indiana has needed someone, Myles Rice continues to be there to provide the offensive firepower for the team.
The Washington State transfer scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Sunday marked the seventh time that Rice reached double-figures this season.
Rice was focused in defensively, hounding Winthrop guards up and down the floor, finishing the game with three steals in 32 minutes.
Indiana will likely continue to rely on the redshirt sophomore to be the quarterback of the offense during conference.
HATTON PROVIDES SPARK OFF THE BENCH
As pregame warmups continued, it became evident that Oumar Ballo, who listed as questionable before the game, was not going to be available to play in Indiana's final game of 2024.
Luke Goode started in place of Ballo, but Langdon Hatton came off the bench and provided a much needed spark as the second forward.
Hatton saw more playing time after Malik Reneau went to the bench with a pair of fouls in the first few minutes of the game.
The Bellarmine transfer scored 7 points in 26 minutes, but his team-high 10-rebound effort on the glass was what Hatton earned his stripes. With less than three minutes left, Hatton hauled in a massive rebound, got fouled, and made both free throws to push the lead to four.
INDIANAÂ THREE-POINT STRUGGLES CONTINUE
It was yet another uninspiring effort from behind the arc on Sunday afternoon as the Hoosiers shot a historically dreadful 1-of-20 from deep.
Luke Goode connected on the Hoosiers' first attempt of the game just three minutes in, however, that was the only three Indiana made the rest of the way, missing its next 19.
The Hoosiers corralled some of those, collecting 14 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points.
Indiana entered the game 326th in the country in three-point rate and 195th in percentage at 32.9%.
As conference play looms, Indiana must continue find a way to get shooters such as Goode and Mgbako open from deep in the game's opening minutes to instill confidence from behind the arc.
FINAL STATS
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