Close Menu
The Daily Hoosier
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • IU basketball recruiting: Hoosiers offer 2026 forward Trey Thompson
    • East 17th Street Ep. 22 — New IU basketball transfer forward Josh Harris joins
    • The early returns on IU football’s 2026 class are very positive
    • IU softball eliminated from NCAA Tournament
    • For 2026 IU football commit Jay Timmons, overcoming pressure became a necessity
    • IU baseball is the No. 6 seed in the 2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament
    • IU football recruiting: Hoosiers land 2026 4-star DL Gabe Hill
    • IU baseball notebook: Hoosiers qualify for Big Ten, Mercer and Taylor with notable achievements
    • Sign Up
    • About/Support
    • Jobs
    • Tickets
      • IUBB Tickets (Stubhub)
      • IUFB Tickets (Stubhub)
    • Shop
      • Official IU Store
      • IU Adidas Store
      • Amazon: Support TDH
      • IU Memorabilia
      • IU Press (Books)
      • The Daily Hoosier T-Shirt
    • Radio/Podcasts
      • East 17th Street
    • Pro IU
      • IUBB NBA
      • IUFB NFL
      • IUBASE MLB
    • Forum
      • Disqus Forum
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    The Daily HoosierThe Daily Hoosier
    Monday, May 19
    • IU Basketball
      • Latest IU Basketball News
      • Offseason roster activity tracker
      • 2025-26 IU Basketball Roster
      • DeVries’ new staff
      • Scholarship Chart
      • Future Schedules
      • IU Basketball 2024-25 Schedule
      • 2024-25 Big Ten Standings
      • 24-25 IU Basketball Stats
      • Rankings & Bracketology
      • IU Basketball Media Guide
    • IU Football
      • Latest IU Football News
      • Roster updates by position
      • 2025 scholarship tracker
      • Current roster
      • Curt Cignetti’s staff
      • Future opponents through 2032
      • IU Football 2024 Schedule
      • 2024 B1G Standings
      • 2024 IUFB Stats
      • IU Football 2024 Record Book
    • IU Recruiting
      • IU Basketball Recruiting News
      • IU Football Recruiting News
      • IUBB 2026-28 Prospects
      • Recruit Interviews
      • Recruit Highlights
      • IU Football Recruiting Commits
    • IU Women’s Basketball
      • IU Women’s Basketball News
      • 24-25 Schedule
      • Big Ten Standings
    • IU Men’s Soccer
      • 2024 Schedule
      • Indiana Men’s Soccer: Program History
    • More Hoosiers
      • Fan and Business NIL options
      • IU Baseball
        • Baseball Schedule
        • Statistics
        • Big Ten Standings
      • IU Swim & Dive
      • IU Olympic Results
    • Hoosier History
      • March Madness Classics
      • Basketball History
      • Football History
      • IUFB Best Seasons
      • IUFB All-Time Top 10 Players
    The Daily Hoosier

    Fueled by stout defensive effort, Indiana defeats BC Mega in first of two meetings in Bahamas

    Mike SchumannBy Mike SchumannAugust 13, 2021 IU Basketball 1 Comment
    Credit - IU Athletics
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas — Mike Woodson has told anyone who would listen for the last two months.  The defensive install came first after he took over the IU basketball program.

    On Friday night at the Atlantis Resort, that defense delivered in a big way as Indiana produced a somewhat surprising 79-66 win over Serbian professional team BC Mega.

    Woodson emphasized the defensive end early in his tenure because he knows it will be the foundation of what he is trying to do at his alma mater.  And he knows that even when his team is not expected to win as was the case on Friday, the defense improves their odds.

    “I’ve always believed this and I learned this from Coach Knight, defense wins games man,” Woodson said on Friday night after the game.  “And if we can put ourselves in a position to defend every night, I know we will be in every game.”

    Indiana was more than in this one, they controlled the contest for most of the game.  The Hoosiers pulled out to a 16-7 lead on a Jordan Geronimo 3-pointer with 12:36 left in the first half, and BC Mega would never get closer than a five point margin from there.  They led by as many as 15 points in the first half (36-21) and led by double-digits for most of the second stanza.

    BC Mega shot a fairly respectable 47 percent from the field on 23-of-48 percent shooting, but it was the number of possessions that didn’t result in shots that doomed them.  And Indiana had everything to do with that.

    The Hoosiers forced 24 turnovers which resulted in 33 points.  BC Mega had just six fast break points despite making a conscious effort to push the ball up the court.  Many of the BC Mega turnovers happened in transition as Indiana got back on defense aggressively and stepped into passing lanes.

    IU was particularly impactful on the ball, as the point guard duo of Xavier Johnson and Rob Phinisee often picked up full court and made it very difficult for BC Mega to get into their offense.  When they did manage to get past the first line of defense, Indiana’s active hands produced numerous deflections, and their array of help and switches protected the paint and generally forced contested 3-pointers where BC Mega was just 5-of-21.

    “We had some breakdowns.  That’s a big team that we played,” Woodson said.  “But I thought for the most part our energy and our effort was amazing in terms of how we defended.”

    Indiana produced 12 steals on the night, including four by starting guard Parker Stewart and two each from Johnson and Phinisee.

    Forward Miller Kopp has seen enough of Indiana’s guards recently to not be surprised with how impactful they were on defense.

    “I’m used to that, I’ve seen it at practice for two months.  Those guys can really guard,” Kopp said after the game.  “We feed off of that.”

    While defense was the story in Woodson’s first game as the IU head coach, there were plenty of highlights on the other end.

    On two occasions in the second half Kopp hit a 3-pointer to give Indiana 13 point leads and force BC Mega timeouts.  He finished with 14 points including a 3-of-4 effort from behind-the-arc.  The Northwestern transfer was one of a few Hoosiers who contributed to the IU defensive effort on NBA-bound Nikola Jovic, who had only three points while committing six turnovers.

    Also with 14 was freshman Tamar Bates, who looked every bit the part of a top-30 recruit.  Bates made his first four shots of the game, scoring from all three levels in the process.  He didn’t look at all bothered by playing in front of fans or facing a professional team in his first game for IU.

    “I wouldn’t say I had too many nerves because my teammates talked me up and let me know, just go out there and play,” Bates said.  “It was just my teammates finding me in open spots really.”

    Indiana’s leading scorer was All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 21 points and eight rebounds.  Jordan Geronimo led IU with nine rebounds, and together the forward duo was very active on the offensive glass, combining to grab nine of IU’s 17 caroms on that end.  Both players stood out for their energy and effort, and that may have been fueled at last in part by a changing of the guard.

    Jackson-Davis, who decided to stay with the program and forego professional opportunities after Woodson was hired, was feeding off a newfound positive vibe that is permeating the program right now.

    “I feel like the excitement and joy of playing basketball was at a whole different level,” Jackson-Davis said.  “Me and my teammates had a whole lot of fun out there tonight.”

    But don’t confuse that with Indiana’s All-American being content.  He knows their 42 percent shooting from the field and 12-of-20 effort from the free throw line, to name a couple shortcomings, weren’t good enough.

    “We didn’t even play our best game, nowhere near it,” Jackson-Davis said.

    They will get another chance to do just that in the rematch with BC Mega on Sunday afternoon.

    See also:

    Mike Woodson post-game

    Kopp, Bates and Jackson-Davis post-game

    Highlights and box score


    Find us on Facebook:  thedailyhoosier

    You can follow us on Twitter:  @daily_hoosier

    The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

    Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no additional cost to you.

    Related

    indiana hoosiers
    Mike Schumann

    Keep Reading

    East 17th Street Ep. 22 — New IU basketball transfer forward Josh Harris joins

    Former IU basketball player Kanaan Carlyle finds new home

    IU will have some of the highest-paid assistants in college basketball

    Latest Hoosier News
    • IU basketball recruiting: Hoosiers offer 2026 forward Trey Thompson
    • East 17th Street Ep. 22 — New IU basketball transfer forward Josh Harris joins
    • The early returns on IU football’s 2026 class are very positive
    • IU softball eliminated from NCAA Tournament
    • For 2026 IU football commit Jay Timmons, overcoming pressure became a necessity
    • IU baseball is the No. 6 seed in the 2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament
    • IU football recruiting: Hoosiers land 2026 4-star DL Gabe Hill
    Sign Up



    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    © 2025 The Daily Hoosier, LLC.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.