Trayce Jackson-Davis led three scorers in double figures with 14 points, lifting Indiana to a 68-55 victory over visiting Nebraska in the Big Ten opener for both teams at Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) bounced back from their first loss of the season, at Syracuse on Tuesday, by delivering a strong defensive effort. Indiana limited Nebraska to just 37.7-percent shooting from the field.
Tamar Bates added 13 points off the bench for Indiana and Race Thompson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Alonzo Verge Jr. led Nebraska (5-4, 0-1) with 15 points. The Cornhuskers struggled from the perimeter, shooting just 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from 3-point range.
Bates scored 11 points in the first half, which helped Indiana rally from a 10-point deficit at 16-6 to take a 26-22 halftime lead. Indiana began the game just 2 of 11 from the floor with six turnovers, which allowed Nebraska to jump on top early.
Bates started a 7-0 run with a transition layup that cut the Nebraska lead to 16-13. A Bates 3-pointer then cut Nebraska's lead to 18-16. Then after a Thompson steal and layup tied the score 20-all, Bates sank a transition 3-pointer to put Indiana up 23-20 with 4:12 remaining in the first half.
Both teams struggled from the field in the first half. Nebraska shot just 30 percent (9 of 30) from the floor and 10 percent (1 of 10) from 3-point range. Indiana was 36.7 percent (11 of 30) from the floor in the opening half and 33.3 percent (4-12) from 3-point range,
Indiana stretched its lead to as many as 15 points in the second half, going up 51-36 on a Parker Stewart 3-pointer with 9:13 left.
--Field Level Media
Nebraska | Indiana | |
Alonzo Verge Jr. 15 | Scoring | Trayce Jackson-Davis 14 |
Alonzo Verge Jr. 3 | Assists | Miller Kopp 3 |
Bryce McGowens 5 | Rebounds | Race Thompson 11 |
Alonzo Verge Jr. 2 | Free Throws Made | Xavier Johnson 6 |
Eduardo Andre 2 | Steals | Trayce Jackson-Davis 3 |
Wilhelm Breidenbach 1 | Blocks | Trayce Jackson-Davis 4 |