Indiana ended a two-game losing streak with an 87-85 overtime win over Penn State on Wednesday.
The storyline coming into Indiana’s game against Penn State was all about the lack of production from the Hoosier backcourt. Archie Miller even called out Al Durham and Rob Phinisee, saying they had to play better.
Guard play was still the main talking point from Wednesday’s game, but for an entirely different reason. Durham, Phinisee, Armaan Franklin, and Trey Galloway carried their team in what was an unconventional offensive game for the Hoosier. The four combined to score 55 points on 57 percent shooting.
Out of the four horsemen, the two who stood out the most were Galloway and Durham. Durham had some great looks from three and cashed in on four of them, finishing with 18 points and four assists. Galloway played the best game of his young career and showcased his skills as a facilitator, dishing out five assists.
Phinisee also deserves to be highlighted for his great play down the stretch, including his game-winning shot from the elbow with 13 seconds to go.
It was an extremely encouraging sight to see the recently-anointed heels of the team essentially win the team this game. They showed the capacity to succeed even when Trayce Jackson-Davis was greatly minimized.
Jackson-Davis ended up with 21 points, but the Nittany Lions were able to largely take him out of the game. Jackson-Davis had four shot attempts in the first half and just 13 in the overall.
Indiana seems like they may have figured out a few things on offense this game that could carry over to the future. A fiery 11-of-14 start to the second half was highlighted by a 13-1 run that was the best offense the Hoosiers have played so far this season. The ball moved around the perimeter quickly, they got high-quality shots and knocked them down all over the court.
There may have been some breakthroughs on offense, but this was a subpar defensive performance from the Hoosiers. Penn State had a great game shooting the ball from deep, especially in the second-half, where they scored on seven of their 12 attempts.
Archie Miller is going to have to find a way to get that kind of offensive production without sacrificing any defense. This game had plenty of ugly moments, but ultimately the Hoosiers did enough to come out on top.
Indiana led for the first 39 minutes of the game before Penn State hit a go-ahead bucket with 28 seconds left in regulation before IU tied it up.
Myreon Jones paced Penn State with 20 points.
Indiana, however, was out rebounded 34-26 on a night when it hit 57.1 percent of its shots.
Indiana will get a chance to increase their win streak to two on January 4th against Maryland.
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