Quick thoughts on a 71-60 win against Kent State:
How it happened
It was a strong start for Race Thompson on Friday at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York. The sixth-year senior scored five of IU’s first seven points as the Hoosiers jumped to a 7-2 lead. After Kent State took the lead 9-8 on a Chris Payton bucket at 3:14:14, Indiana took the lead for the rest of the half. After the Golden Flashes came within three at 26-23 on a Sincere Carry 3-pointer, Indiana finished the half strong with an 11-4 run for a 35-27 lead at the break. Thompson had 13 points to lead Indiana in the first half and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Despite being beaten 9–3 on rematch points in the first 20 minutes, Indiana’s lead was comfortable as it held Kent State to just 10-for-38 shots from the field.
The Hoosiers had a solid start to the second half, pushing the lead to 11 at 40-29 on a Thompson fast-break dunk. At 4:10 p.m., Indiana’s lead was 45–31 by a Jackson-Davis bucket. The lead was extended to 15 points at 54-39 on a second chance putback by Malik Reneau with 11:57 left. The Golden Flashes came within 10 at 65-55 with 5:51 to play on a 3-pointer from VonCameron Davis, but Indiana answered with an alley-oop dunk from Jackson-Davis to claim a 67-55 lead with 4:09 to go. Another Jackson-Davis dunk gave Indiana a 14-point lead with 3:27 left to play. The Hoosiers cruised from there to their first 32-appearance NCAA tournament round since 2016. Indiana will play against ACC regular-season champion Miami (FL) in Albany on Sunday.
Outstanding artist
Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five blocked shots and a steal in 35 minutes. The five blocked shots set an IU NCAA tournament record. Thompson added 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes. Miller Kopp had 13 points and five rebounds in 36 minutes.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana had no problem offending Kent State’s defense. The Golden Flashes should have conceded 0.96 points per possession, but the Hoosiers scored 1.1. And Indiana could handle the pressure from Kent State. The Hoosiers turned it over just seven times for an 11 turnover percentage.
Final individual IU stats
Latest pace-free stats
Montage call afterplay show
Filed at: 2023 NCAA Tournament, Kent State Golden Flashes