Indiana tied its season high with 21 team assists in an 82-74 victory over Nebraska to earn its first true road game of the season. Shooting efficiency and effective passing gave the Hoosiers the lead in the first half, but it was the forwards that sealed the win in the end.
Indiana followed one of its worst shooting performances with a variety of scoring tactics to win its first true road game of the season.
In an 82-74 victory over Nebraska, all nine of Indiana’s scorers contributed at least three points, and seven of them accounted for an assist.
“Offensively we were able to make a few shots, gave us some confidence,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said after the game. “We then went from being a tight team to being a team that played a little bit more free.”
After going 2-for-19 from three-point range against Rutgers on Wednesday, Indiana opened up with six deep shots that found the bottom of the net inside of Pinnacle Bank Arena. Five different Hoosiers connected on three-pointers as the two teams traded blows in the first half.
Indiana fought back from a nine-point deficit in the opening period before Freshman guard Armaan Franklin hit a three and then scored a fastbreak layup with 5:56 remaining to retake the lead.
“We shot a lot this week,” Franklin said. “We knew last game we didn’t shoot so well so they were going to pack the paint because we have some pretty good bigs. We just had to be ready as guards to step up and knock them down.”
The Cornhuskers countered with six three-pointers of their own. Nebraska sophomore guard Cam Mack was a perfect 3-for-3 when shooting from beyond the arc. He tallied 17 points by the time the teams went into the locker room.
At halftime, the score was 46-41 in favor of the Hoosiers.
Miller said his team was unselfish and pushed the ball up the floor effectively. With Indiana’s forwards garnering extra attention, his players could play from the inside out with open shooters on the perimeter.
Shots went up in rhythm, and the Hoosiers saw them fall through the basket. The team tied a season-high 21 assists against Nebraska in response to a season-low six in the loss to Rutgers.
“I’m not sure we’ve had 21 assists in any of the Big Ten games combined at this point,” Miller said.
With shots going through the rim, the Cornhuskers had no choice but to respect the Hoosiers’ ability to shoot. As a result, post players dominated the rest of the game.
Freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis’ last double-double came against Nebraska on Dec. 13. In his second matchup, he earned another. Indiana’s leading scorer finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds — both were team highs.
“I think I was really patient,” Jackson-Davis said. “In the first half they doubled me a lot so I was just waiting for opportunities to score it. And then once we started hitting a few shots, it kind of cleared up the inside so we could do a little bit more work.”
Redshirt junior Joey Brunk and junior Justin Smith added to the scoring total as the Indiana forwards combined for all but five of the team’s second-half points. Brunk had 16 points of his own, while Smith trailed with 15 by the time the game was over.
With the victory, the Hoosiers return for another homestand against two of the premier teams in the Big Ten. Up first, a matchup with conference leader Michigan State, but Indiana isn’t lacking momentum.
“Finally had an opportunity here to break through and get a win away from home, on the road in conference. They’re very difficult, as been well documented. But I thought our guys played really together, and I thought they played hard.”
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