Quick thoughts on an 82-67 win over Minnesota:

How it happened

Indiana struggled early on defense against Minnesota on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Gophers, coming off an 18-point loss to Michigan State in Minneapolis, initially made it look easy against a weak Hoosier defense. At the 11:42 mark of the half, Minnesota led 22-20 thanks to Brennan Rigsby’s defense. But the Hoosiers found their footing defensively and a 16-1 run turned the game from a 2-point deficit to a 13-point lead at 36-23. It was a dominant first half for the IU frontcourt as Oumar Ballo, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and Bryson Tucker combined for 41 of the team’s 44 points. The Hoosiers led 44:31 at the break thanks to a shooting rate of 63 percent and only six turnovers. After its hot start, Minnesota went cold, managing just 0.91 points per possession in the first half.

The strong defensive performance continued after halftime as Indiana extended the lead to 50-33 through the U16 media timeout. The Gophers pulled within 14 at 59-45 on a dunk by Femi Odukale at 11:36. But the Hoosiers had an answer — a 9-2 run capped by a 3-point play from Kanaan Carlyle — and extended the lead to 21 with 9:46 to play. However, Indiana was sloppy on the next few possessions and Minnesota got within 17 at 68-51 with 8:10 left. The Gophers cut the lead to 13 on a layup by Dawson Garcia, but Indiana extended it to 16 on a second-chance layup by Mackenzie Mgbako with 6:07 to play. While Minnesota got within 12 in the final minutes, it was never difficult for Indiana to record its fourth straight win and move to 1-0 in Big Ten play.

Outstanding artists

Carlyle returned from injury and scored 14 points in 21 minutes on 5-for-8 shooting off the bench. He was also excellent defensively. Ballo led the Hoosiers with 18 points in 31 minutes. Freshman Bryson Tucker had his best game yet, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. It was also a very good night for Reneau, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes.

Statistics that stand out

It was an outstanding performance from IU’s bench, outscoring Minnesota’s 32-14.

Final IU individual stats

Final pace-free statistics

Call for a meeting after the game

Submitted to: Minnesota Golden Gophers