National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Indiana 103, Delaware State 56
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 19, 2016
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # Pat Driscoll, # Kelly Pfeifer
Attendance: 13307

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The 16th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers returned home to their comfort zone and got hot from the 3-point arc, which meant Monday became a long night for visiting Delaware State.

Just two days after the Hoosiers endured the indignity of losing a second time to an in-state school, falling to No. 18 Butler in Indianapolis, Indiana seemed anxious to atone for dropping seven spots in the Associated Press poll. The Hoosiers sank 11 3-pointers in a 103-56 rout of the Hornets at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana coach Tom Crean criticized his team's defense in the 83-78 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday.

"Especially coming off a loss and moving forward, you want to immediately get better at some of the things you didn't do well," said Indiana junior guard Robert Johnson, who scored 16 points. "I think today we put forth pretty much a 40-minute effort."

Indiana (9-2) won its 25th consecutive home game, tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history, including an 8-0 record this season. The average margin of victory in those eight games was 30.3 points.

"I had very little doubt that we would play well, but until you get in the game, you're never quite sure," said Crean, whose team topped 100 points for the fourth time this season, including three at home.

Delaware State (3-10) definitely caught Indiana at the wrong time. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference program made a game of it for about eight minutes before it got ugly.

"Tonight, we were a lot more connected, we talked more, played with better intent," said Indiana sophomore forward OG Anunoby, who had 19 points and nine rebounds, both team highs.

The Hornets showed why they are 1-9 on the road as they fell behind 54-30 by halftime. Indiana shot 71 percent from the field (22 of 31) in the first half.

"We ran into one of them Hoosier buzzsaws tonight," Delaware State coach Keith Walker said. "After halftime, I promised the team they couldn't duplicate that first-half shooting percentage. They went from 71 percent, and then we did cut it down. It went to 67."

The Hoosiers led by as many as 50 points in the second half. They finished 11 of 26 (42.3 percent) on 3-point shooting and 42 of 63 overall (66.7 percent).

"Our big thing tonight was, no matter what we were doing offensively, let's play fast but let's not let the offense dictate how we're guarding at all," Crean said. "We knew we had to challenge shots better."

The Hornets made 21 of 63 shots from the field (33.3 percent), including 6 of 22 on 3-pointers (27.3 percent).

One common Indiana trend has been shooting and defending 3-pointers. In two losses, the other to Fort Wayne, the Hoosiers made just 13 of 55 3-pointers (23.6 percent) and allowed 17 in 52 long-distance attempts (32.7 percent). In nine wins, Indiana has hit 89 of 211 (42.2 percent) from 3-point range and allowed just 49 in 190 attempts (25.8 percent).

Six Hoosiers contributed to the 3-point total, including 6-foot-10 sophomore center Thomas Bryant stepping back and hitting two as part of his 14 points. Junior guard James Blackmon Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers.

Indiana pulled away for good with a 10-1 run midway through the opening half as Blackmon swished his third 3-pointer, Anunoby banked in a layup and then Anunoby blocked a shot to set up a Blackmon transition layup.

Anunoby was much more active than he was Saturday against Butler, his first game back after missing three with a sprained left ankle. He surpassed the previous game's point total (seven) in just under nine minutes. He also finished with a career-best four blocks in addition to two steals and two assists.

"He played well tonight, that's all I know," Crean said. "He played the other day like it was his first game back in some period of time. Tonight, he played like he's capable of."

Sophomore forward DeVaughn Mallory led Delaware State with 14 points, and freshman guard Kobe Gantz had 13.

NOTES: Indiana entered as the nation's leader in rebounding margin at plus-14.9 and third in rebounds with 455 (45.5 average). The Hoosiers amassed a 44-28 edge on the glass Monday. ... While the Hoosiers began a stretch of five of six at home, the Hornets are two games into a stretch of six consecutive road games. ... Delaware State has faced current Big Ten schools 33 times and lost each time. ... Neither team has a senior starter. Indiana has only one senior on the roster, and Delaware State has two.
Top Game Performances
 
Delaware State   Indiana
DeVaughn Mallory 14 Scoring OG Anunoby 19
DeAndre Haywood 3 Assists Robert Johnson 6
DeVaughn Mallory 9 Rebounds OG Anunoby 9
Kobe Gantz 2 Free Throws Made Juwan Morgan 3
Joseph Lewis 2 Steals OG Anunoby 2
DeAndre Haywood 1 Blocks OG Anunoby 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Delaware State 56 33.3 6-22 8-15 13 23 2 4 12
Indiana 103 66.7 11-26 8-14 28 40 8 9 11
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