SMU Falls At Indiana
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — James Blackmon Jr. scored 26 points and Indiana used a big run in the second half to get past No. 22/23 SMU 74-68 on Thursday.
The Hoosiers are 3-0 for the fifth straight year. SMU (1-2) lost its second straight road game. The Mustangs were led by Ben Moore with 16 points and Nic Moore with 13 on a topsy-turvy night.
SMU started both halves by taking leads, only to see Indiana come back both times.
The Mustangs erased Indiana’s 38-33 halftime lead by starting the second half on a 10-0 run. But just when it looked as if SMU might pull away, the Hoosiers rallied with an 18-5 burst.
Blackmon’s 3 from the top of the key with 8:56 left gave Indiana a 53-52 lead, and when Nick Zeisloft hit another 3 with 4:51 to go, Indiana led 63-55.
SMU got as close as 63-61 but still fell short.
It was a strange game for the Hoosiers, who were outrebounded 40-27. But they turned the game around by forcing 19 turnovers.
Indiana started slow, making just 3 of its first 12 shots as SMU took
a 22-10 lead midway through the first half.
Then the Hoosiers got in sync. They cut the lead to 27-20 with 6:38 to go and capped a 9-0 run with two free throws from Troy Williams to retake the lead with 4:59 left.
When the Mustangs briefly regained the lead, 31-29, Blackmon answered with a 3 to help the Hoosiers close out the half on a 9-2 run to make it 38-33 at halftime.
SMU switched gears again in the second half to build a 5-point lead, only to watch the Hoosiers rally again.
Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell had 13 points and Zeisloft had 10 as the Hoosiers went 12 of 33 on 3s.
SMU’S Indiana contingent had a big night. Nic Moore, the Mr. Basketball runner-up to Cody Zeller, had six assists and five rebounds to go with his 13 points. Forward Justin Martin, who attended Lawrence North in suburban Indy, had seven points, three rebounds three assists.
The Hoosiers got three suspended players back Thursday. Troy Williams scored 11 points and had three rebounds. Stanford Robinson had two points and Emmit Holt did not play. None of the three started.
The Mustangs return to Moody Coliseum for their next game Saturday, Nov. 22 against Eastern Washington. Tip-off slated for 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN3 and is sold out. Reseller tickets are available at vividseats.com.
