IU basketball: Indiana 69 UNC Greensboro 58 — Three keys | Highlights

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana defeated UNC Greensboro on Thursday evening at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall by a final score of 69-58.

The Hoosiers led at halftime 36-27. They were led in the game by Myles Rice with 20 points and six assists. Bryson Tucker added 14. Oumar Ballo had a team high 11 rebounds.

The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below.

Indiana (4-0) will travel to The Bahamas and face Louisville on Wednesday in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Bryson Tucker delivers impressive second half. Freshmen wing Bryson Tucker kept Indiana afloat in the second half as things got dicey. On an evening when most of Indiana’s stars were inefficient, Tucker scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. 12 of his points came in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. The rest of the team shot just 8-of-26 in the second half.

2. Defense is sound for the most part. Indiana held UNCG to 20-of-63 shooting (31.7) percent. The Spartans also committed 14 turnovers. More than half of UNCG’s shots came from three, where they made just 28.1%. But despite the stops, Indiana struggled to complete defensive possessions. They allowed 17 offensive rebounds, and UNCG scored 10 second chance points.

3. Overcoming a lethargic stretch. Indiana pulled out to a quick 21-5 lead, and still led 36-20 late in the first half. But UNCG didn’t quit, and the Spartans outworked the Hoosiers for a stretch to tie the game at 40. Helping the cause for IU was a 14-of-16 effort at the free throw line. But while Indiana held on for the win, this was not an impressive effort.

HIGHLIGHTS