National Basketball Association
Indiana 103, Illinois 69
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Officials:
# Tom Eades, # Terry Oglesby, # Mark Whitehead
Attendance:
17472
By The Sports Xchange
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Yogi Ferrell will one day leave Indiana University as one of its top 10 scorers as he passed Brian Evans on Tuesday to move into 11th with 1,703 points.
There's at least one statistical category, though, that Ferrell will depart at No. 1 after breaking the school's career assist record -- a mark that has stood for 16 seasons.
Ferrell had 16 points and nine assists, and Troy Williams scored 21 as the No. 25 Hoosiers manhandled Illinois 103-69 at Assembly Hall.
It was the 11th win in a row for Indiana (16-3, 6-0) and leaves the Hoosiers unbeaten atop the Big Ten standings.
Ferrell, who needed two assists coming into the game to pass Michael Lewis, broke the record on a no look pass to forward Max Bielfeldt with 11:19 to play in the first half.
"I wasn't really trying to force the issue,'' Ferrell said of his record-breaking assist. "I knew I was one assist away, but I was just going to go out there and play the same game that I normally play, push the ball, push the tempo. I know my teammates are going to run with me. I know they're going to run with me and I'm going to get them the ball.''
Bielfeldt, a senior transfer from Michigan, came off the bench to score 16 points and pull down a team-high eight rebounds. He also had a run in the second half where he accounted for all 10 of Indiana's points in a 10-0 run.
Bielfeldt said he likes knowing that he will always be attached to Ferrell's assist record as being the recipient of No. 546 that broke the record.
"It's awesome. To be a part of that, that's a heck of a record,'' Bielfeldt said. "It just shows how talented he is and the guys he's played with. I've been on the other end of that before trying to stop him. It's a lot more fun to receive those passes than trying to defend him.''
As Ferrell came off the court when he was substituted for down the stretch, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean grabbed his hand and raised it over his head as if to signify a champion.
"I've done that a couple of times when guys hit their 1,000th point,'' Crean said. "I think it's my chance to show them that we wouldn't be here without them. It was a spur of the moment deal. We weren't going to stop the game. But taking him out at that point was just to make sure fans gave him just a little bit extra because he deserved it.''
That wasn't the only school record set by Indiana on Tuesday.
The Hoosiers made a school-record 19 3-pointers, besting the old record of 18 set last season against Minnesota. Harrison Niego hit the 3-pointer with less than a minute to play that set the record.
Guard Robert Johnson also was in double figures with 13 for Indiana.
It was the fourth time this season that Indiana has scored more than 100 points in a game and the first in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers' previous high point total in a Big Ten game this season was 85 against Ohio State. The four 100-point games is the most in one season since Indiana had five in 1992-93.
The 103 points given up by the Fighting Illini (9-10, 1-5) were the most surrendered by Illinois in a Big Ten game since 1991.
Guard Malcom Hill led the Illini with 20 points. Guard Kendrick Nunn was the only other Illinois player in double figures with 10. Nunn fouled out with 8:22 to play.
Illini coach John Groce was impressed with the Hoosiers.
"I knew going in that they were going to be difficult to defend but they were even better in person,'' Groce said. "They did a great job of dribble driving the ball. When we were able to shut that down they did a great job of making 3-pointers from multiple players.''
Groce wasn't happy with the way his team played though, especially on the defensive end.
"I thought we were atrocious defensively from halftime on,'' Groce said. "I did not think we had enough pride at that end of the floor. Give them a lot of credit but we have to get better defensively. We need some guys that value that end of the floor as much as hitting shots on the offensive end.''
NOTES: Indiana committed four first-half turnovers after going the final 16 minutes-plus against Minnesota on Saturday without one. ... Illinois faced a Top 25 opponent for the fourth time this season. The Illini were 1-2 against the first three, with the win coming against No. 20 Purdue 84-70 on Jan. 10. ... Illinois plays at Minnesota on Saturday, the same day Indiana hosts Northwestern.
Top Game Performances
Illinois |
|
Indiana |
Malcolm Hill 20 |
Scoring |
Troy Williams 21 |
Jaylon Tate 5 |
Assists |
Yogi Ferrell 9 |
Mike Thorne Jr. 9 |
Rebounds |
Max Bielfeldt 8 |
Malcolm Hill 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Troy Williams 3 |
Kendrick Nunn 2 |
Steals |
Max Bielfeldt 3 |
N/A |
Blocks |
Max Bielfeldt 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Illinois
|
69 |
43.1 |
7-18 |
18-25 |
13 |
23 |
0 |
5 |
15 |
Indiana
|
103 |
56.9 |
19-36 |
10-13 |
26 |
38 |
3 |
9 |
11 |