Published Jan 27, 2022
Quick Hitters: Takeaways from IU's win over Penn State
Alec Lasley  •  Hoosier Huddle
Senior Writer
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@allasley
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Indiana rebounded from its first home loss of the season over the weekend with a good win over Penn State on Wednesday.

The Hoosier were up by as many as 32 points in this one and as much as 31 in the first half alone.

It was a much-needed bounce back game for Indiana heading into a few road games.

The biggest takeaway was the Rob Phinisee injury, however.

Here are the main takeaways from IU's 74-57 win over Penn State.

Rob Phinisee injury: Despite a good win for the Hoosiers, the excitement was overshadowed by the loss of Rob Phinisee. The backup point guard went down after just seven minutes of action after a non-contact injury. He seemed to be grabbing his foot, but was unable to put any pressure on it as he was carried off of the court. He never returned to the bench in the second half. With IU's guard struggles this season, this is extremely notable and something that could be a big issue moving forward as we find out more.

Xavier Johnson's stellar play: In the last three games, Johnson is averaging 17 points, 4.7 assists and just 1.7 turnovers per game. He had 19 points and six assists and was steady all game long for the Hoosiers against Penn State. He even hit all three of his 3s and was in attack mode from the tip. Mike Woodson said postgame how the game is slowing down for Johnson and you can clearly tell with his 14 assists to just five turnovers over the past three games.

First-half defensive dominance: Though the second half was nowhere near as good, the first half was a total dominance on the defensive end from IU. IU held Penn State to 17 points - the sixth opponent it has held below 20 points in the first half this season. Also, the Hoosiers held PSU to just 16.7 percent from the field, but that was just the third best defensive effort in a first half this season when it came to shooting percentage.

Tamar Bates breaks out of slump: The freshman guard had struggled over the last month, scoring just six total points in the last eight games. On Wednesday, Bates had six points in the first half and hit two 3s for the first time since December 12. He looked more confident and free on the floor and if Bates can play back to the level he did a month ago, it brings a different dimension to IU's bench, especially if Phinisee misses extended time.

3pt shooting on full display: The Hoosiers haven't been a great shooting team this year -- just about 33 percent from three -- but went 10-of-13 on Wednesday. The Hoosiers made their first five 3s before a miss and saw six different players make a three. Race Thompson went 2-of-2, Xavier Johnson was 3-of-3 and Bates was 2-of-2. IU won't shoot like this every game, but if it can get some extra production from the perimeter by Bates, Thompson and even Trey Galloway who hit a three, that will open up a lot more on the offensive end.

Starters respond: The starting five has received a lot of criticism from fans and it was well warranted. That unit has struggled to get out of the gates fast in most of the past seven games. That goes for the second half too. On Wednesday, IU got off to a 12-0 start, then 15-2 and eventually 22-5 lead from the starting unit. It was an impressive showing and put the Hoosiers in a terrific spot right away.

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