Indiana 116, Mississippi Valley State 65: Freshman James Blackmon Jr. scored 25 points in his college debut as the host Hoosiers breezed in the season opener for both schools.
Blackmon – a highly touted recruit – finished 7-of-10 from the floor and hit 3-of-4 3-pointers to spark a sizzling shooting display by the Hoosiers (1-0). Max Hoetzel added 17 points off the bench, Illinois State transfer Nick Zeisloft poured in 16 and Yogi Ferrell Jr. chipped in 15 for Indiana, which shot 66.1 percent.
Jordan Washington scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half for the overmatched Delta Devils (0-1). DeAngelo Priar was the only other Mississippi Valley State player in double figures with 11.
The Delta Devils were willing to run with Indiana and trailed by only six with just over seven minutes in the half, but Zeisloft scored eight points in a 10-2 run to build the lead to 14. Blackmon sparked a 14-2 burst with seven points as the Hoosiers extended the lead to 25 and took a 54-31 edge into the break.
Zeisloft buried two more 3-pointers and Blackmon connected from behind the arc as Indiana opened the second half with a 12-2 run in the first 2 1/2 minutes to double up Mississippi Valley State 66-33. The Hoosiers hit 11 of their first 14 from long distance, with Blackmon and Zeisloft knocking down three apiece.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hoosiers F Hanner Mosquera-Perea pulled down 12 rebounds to help Indiana control the backboards by a 53-26 margin. ... Delta Devils G Tyler Corley, who played scholastically at Lawrence Central High in Indianapolis, scored nine points on 3-of-14 shooting. ... F Troy Williams and G Stanford Robinson sat out the third of their four-game suspensions for the Hoosiers, who shot a blistering 21-of-29 in the opening 20 minutes yet connected on less than 50 percent (6-of-13) from the free-throw line.
Mississippi Valley State | Indiana | |
Jordan Washington 17 | Scoring | James Blackmon Jr 25 |
Tyler Corley 3 | Assists | Yogi Ferrell 5 |
DeAngelo Priar 5 | Rebounds | Hanner Mosquera-Perea 12 |
Rakwan Kelly 5 | Free Throws Made | James Blackmon Jr 8 |
Tyler Corley 3 | Steals | Robert Johnson 3 |
Isaac Williams 1 | Blocks | Collin Hartman 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mississippi Valley State | 65 | 34.2 | 5-19 | 10-21 | 9 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 11 |
Indiana | 116 | 66.1 | 11-23 | 27-37 | 20 | 52 | 3 | 9 | 19 |