1/9/2022 basketball Edit

Phinisee, Johnson lead Indiana to 73-60 home victory against Minnesota

Trevor Gersmehl • TheHoosier

Staff Writer

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For the first time all season, Indiana's backcourt was the story in a solid 73-60 win against Minnesota in Assembly Hall.

Minnesota's game plan was to take Trayce Jackson-Davis out of the game, and they mostly succeeded. The Hoosiers attempted to force-feed their star player early but ultimately were unsuccessful in doing so. The supporting cast then stepped up and took what the defense gave them and opened up the game.

Rob Phinisee was one of the Hoosiers who benefited from Minnesota's defensive focus. He found himself wide open from the three-point line throughout the game and made the defense pay.

Phinisee led the team with 12 points at halftime after he knocked down four open looks from three. Xavier Johnson also took advantage of the defense, scoring 10 points and dishing out two assists in the first half. The Hoosiers hit seven of their 15 three-pointers in the first half as a team.

Sparked by the backcourt, Indiana went into halftime up 39-29 after a 17-4 run. However, the Gophers responded in the second half with an 18-5 run of their own. Indiana began to struggle guarding Minnesota's pick and roll game and Peyton Willis took advantage of the lax defense.

Willis scored 12 points in the first seven minutes of the half and gave his team their first lead since the middle of the first half. He would finish with 18 total points. Indiana also had their hands full trying to slow down Minnesota forward Jamison Battle. Battle got to his spots in the first half and cashed in eight points. He continued his scoring output throughout the rest of the game and ended with a team-high 19.

Eventually, the Hoosiers clamped down on defense, forcing Minnesota to miss 8-of-9 shots as the second half dwindled. They maintained their offensive output as well and would coast down the stretch to a 13-point victory.

The story surrounding Indiana has been the lack of production from the backcourt, but they were the strength of the team today. Johnson and Phinisee would end with 14 and 13 points respectively and showed the ability to carry the team on offense -- something that had been uncertain to this point of the season.

Parker Stewart and Trey Galloway also contributed heavily to the win. Stewart finished with 12 points on four-of-five shooting and -- while he only scored six points -- Galloway played an excellent floor game.

Trayce Jackson-Davis managed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Race Thompson added 10 points.

Indiana had another quality performance on the offensive end with 17 assists to just six turnovers.

This game was another complete 40-minute performance for the Hoosiers. The next step will be to put together a complete performance on the road, and they will have an opportunity to do just that Thursday at Iowa.