BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -Eighth-ranked Indiana’s offense just keeps rolling.
Eric Gordon scored 30 points and Armon Bassett added 19 on Tuesday night to help the Hoosiers beat North Carolina-Wilmington 95-71.
Indiana (3-0) flirted with the 100-point mark for the third straight game and probably would have hit triple digits in back-to-back games if coach Kelvin Sampson hadn’t pulled his starters early. The Hoosiers haven’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since November 2005 and have now won 20 straight home games.
Todd Hendley scored 20 points and Chad Tomko added 17 for North Carolina-Wilmington (1-2). The Seahawks couldn’t keep up with Indiana’s scorers, depth or defensive pressure.
Gordon, the freshman who was named the Big Ten’s co-player of the week Monday, did more than just score Tuesday night. He repeatedly pressured the Seahawks into miscues, and when UNCW tried to tighten up its defense against him, the Hoosiers relied on other players.
Bassett made four 3-pointers, and Indiana got 15 points from Jordan Crawford and 12 from D.J. White. DeAndre Thomas finished with 11.
Coach Kelvin Sampson couldn’t have scripted a better final 35 minutes after a sluggish start.
The Seahawks made seven of their first nine shots, jumping out to an 18-8 lead in the first 4:31.
That’s when the Hoosiers changed the plan. With the Seahawks trying to run with the Hoosiers, Indiana’s defense buckled down and allowed just 10 points in the final 10 minutes of the half.
Meanwhile, the offense was content to run.
Bassett finished a 9-0 run with a three-point play to give Indiana its first lead, 27-24, with 7:42 left in the half. The Hoosiers followed that with a 12-0 spurt in which Gordon repeatedly forced turnovers and helped his teammates convert them into easy baskets. By halftime, Indiana led 52-32, and Gordon and Bassett each had 16 points.
Add A Comment