Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp spearheaded the commanding 70-35 win over Jackson State as the Hoosiers improved to an undefeated 5-0 start. Johnson and Kopp led the team with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Both players had the most points on the team, but their different skill sets showcased two ways of scoring on the court.
Johnson scored four layups on five attempts, quickly reaching the basket with his speed after maneuvering around defenders.
The senior guard spoke about his repeated success when driving to the basket after the game.
"The mindset for every game is to be aggressive," Johnson said.
However, the starter hasn't always been able to be aggressive on the court. Johnson has struggled in the past with early foul trouble, having three or more personal fouls in three games so far this season.
He had two personal fouls against Jackson State, and by managing his count, he was able to have more opportunities to attack the hoop.
"For the past two games, I been in foul trouble in the first half, so where I can't be aggressive in the first half," Johnson said. "Today, I was on the floor; I was available for my team to play."
Head coach Mike Woodson spoke after the game on the importance of Johnson avoiding foul trouble.
"We brought Xavier here to help run our ball club, and he can't do it sitting next to me," Woodson said.
If Johnson continues to avoid foul trouble, he could be a vital asset for the team with conference play right around the corner.
When Johnson wasn’t attacking the glass trying to score, he was grabbing rebounds. He had seven on the night, the second-most on the team behind Jordan Geronimo.
He also made a challenging fadeaway jump shot at the start of the second half, his only attempt of the night.
Unlike Johnson, Kopp is a designated shooter, and reasonably, he took more jump shots and 3-pointers than Johnson. He shot 3-11 from the field, making one jump shot and two 3-pointers.
While Kopp didn't lead the team in three-point or overall shooting percentage, he made all four of his free throws. IU started the game shooting 2-6 at the free-throw line but later raised that percentage.
Right before halftime, Kopp was fouled while trying to shoot a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He made all three free throws and despite IU leading by double digits, the Hoosiers were struggling to score against Jackson State's zone defense.
Kopp's converted free throws rinsed the sour-tasting last few possessions before half as the team entered the locker room.
At the start of the second half, IU came out firing with a 13-0 scoring run. The Hoosiers' streak deterred Jackson State from continuing the zone defense, Woodson said after the game.
"We were stagnant early until I made the -- called to time out and made the change,” Woodson said. "Then we kind of went over at halftime and they didn't come back to it after we made a few buckets.
Who else but Johnson and Kopp to immediately combine for five points in the second half and start the streak.
Kopp spoke after the game about figuring out ways to beat Jackson State's zone.
“I think it took us a couple [of] possessions to figure it out, but after that, we just wanted to move and get some obviously open looks and get the ball in the middle of the zone and make plays from there," Kopp said. "We felt like if we get the ball there, we could get lobs and kick-outs and would be able to make plays from there."
Trayce Jackson-Davis typically leads the team in points each night. But tonight, it was the two transfers making a huge impact in another win.
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