NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Indiana 103, Houston Baptist 61

When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 10, 2016
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Officials: # Rob Kueneman, # Jon Campbell, # Courtney Green
Attendance: 17222

By The Sports Xchange

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Houston Baptist likes to hurry the pace and shoot 3-pointers, but No. 9 Indiana is more adept at both.

It took the Hoosiers about eight minutes to shake off the rust from not playing for five days and gain a lead they would never relinquish in a 103-61 rout of the visiting Huskies on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

"We have to keep getting better each and every day and not let a day go by because you either get better or your get worse, you never stay the same," said Hoosiers sophomore forward Juwan Morgan, who scored 13 points.

Indiana freshman guard Curtis Jones sank a 3-pointer for a 13-12 advantage with 12:15 left in the first half, then junior guard Robert Johnson hit another from beyond the arc on the next possession. That started a 21-2 run for the Hoosiers (8-1), who finished with 12 3-pointers.

Junior guard James Blackmon Jr. scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, as Indiana won its fifth in a row and extended a home winning streak to 24 games, sixth longest in program history.

Indiana outscored Houston Baptist 61-34 after halftime. Eleven Hoosiers scored at least three points.

"In the second half, we just decided to get stops on defense and string stops together," said Johnson, who had 16 points. "When we do that, it allows us to get out in transition and get easy baskets."

While the Big Ten hosts were hitting long-range shots, the Southland Conference visitors (3-5) kept missing. The Huskies were averaging 82.6 points, but that's three points less than the Hoosiers. When the Huskies pushed the pace, it became a problem after missed shots because Indiana was better in transition.

Indiana averages nine 3-pointers per game and has a stingy reputation of preventing opponents from hitting them, limiting eight previous foes to 26.4 percent 3-point shooting. The Hoosiers finished 12 of 28 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc and the Huskies were just 2 of 17 (11.8 percent).

"We're not over-helping," Indiana coach Tom Crean said of the perimeter defense. "In its simplest terms, it's a lot harder to do than it sounds because you want to help on the ball in penetration. But we spend a lot of time not trying to overreact to the basketball, especially with guys in the corners."

Although neither team shot the ball particularly well early, the Hoosiers continually made the extra pass for wide-open looks. The winners had 19 assists, the losers just eight.

"It's contagious throughout the team," Johnson said of sharing the ball. "Good teams do that. We obviously want to be a good team and have good ball movement."

The Hoosiers also had more balance and depth. Jones scored 11 points and junior guard Josh Newkirk added 10. Morgan hit his first two shots to extend a perfect three-game shooting stretch to 14 shots from the field before finally missing.

"They are every bit of a top-10 team, there is no doubt about that," Houston Baptist coach Ron Cottrell said of Indiana. "They've got depth, they've got athleticism, they've got size, they play hard and they play together."

Huskies senior forward Colter Lasher scored 18 points. One game after his first double-double of the season, junior center Josh Ibarra fouled out midway through the second half after scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds in just 14 minutes.

NOTES: Hoosiers starting F OG Anunoby (left ankle sprain) was cleared to play, but the sophomore missed his third consecutive game. Coach Tom Crean based his decision on Anunoby's need for conditioning. The coach anticipates the 12.5-point scorer will be ready next Saturday against No. 16 Butler in the Crossroads Classic at Indianapolis. ... Indiana improved to 9-0 against the Southland Conference and Houston Baptist dropped to 0-5 against the Big Ten. ... Since 2011-12, the Hoosiers are 88-11 (.888) at home, best in the Big Ten. ... The Huskies' five losses have all come on the road. ... This was the first meeting between the schools.

Top Game Performances

Houston Baptist		Indiana
Colter Lasher 18	Scoring	James Blackmon Jr 18
Colter Lasher 3	Assists	Zach McRoberts 4
Reveal Chukwujekwu 6	Rebounds	Thomas Bryant 13
Reveal Chukwujekwu 3	Free Throws Made	Thomas Bryant 7
Colter Lasher 2	Steals	Zach McRoberts 2
N/A	Blocks	Thomas Bryant 4

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Houston Baptist	61	37.9	2-17	9-14	8	27	0	4	15
Indiana	103	55.0	12-28	25-32	19	44	5	9	12