Hoosiers Three Headed Monster Dominates the Scarlet Knights 

By Nick Jenkinson\Excel H Sports

   Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries and Nick Dorn combined for 72 of Indiana’s 82 points as the Hoosiers snapped a four-game losing streak on Friday Night with an 82-59 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Indiana is 13-7 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten and will host archrival Purdue Tuesday Night at 9 PM in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

   Lamar Wilkerson scored 27 points, going 11-17 from the field and 5-11 from three-point range. Nick Dorn, who got his first start as a Hoosier, scored 23 points, going 6-10 from three-point range talking just one shot from inside the arc and 5-5 form the free throw line. Tucker DeVries scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. DeVries went 4-12 from downtown. The Hoosiers were 15-35 from three-point range for 43%, 30-60 from the field for 60% and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.

   Sam Alexis pulled down 10 rebounds and scored 4 points along with 6 points from Tayton Conerway in 16 minutes after the bench after an ankle injury held him to just 2 minutes and no points Tuesday Night against Michigan. Conor Enright, Reed Bailey, Trent Sisley and Jasai Miles all played but did not score. Indiana pulled down 40 rebounds, dished out 15 assists, 7 blocks, 4 steals and committed 11 turnovers.

   Tariq Francis scored 28 points off the bench to lead the Scarlet Knights. Francis, who played two seasons at the New Jersey Institute of Technology went 10-23 from the field, 1-4 from three-point range and 7-8 from the free throw line was the only Rutgers player in double-figures. Rutgers finished 21-58 from the field for 36%, 5-19 from three-point range for 26% and 12-14 from the free throw line for 86%. Harun Zrno who was signed with the Hoosiers under former Head Coach Mike Woodson before the coaching change to Darian DeVries played 10 minutes off the bench missing his only shot attempt from three-point range had a rebound and a turnover. Rutgers is 9-11 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten and have lost three in a row and four of their last five games.

    The Hoosiers jumped out to 5-0 lead and never looked back as the big three combined for 43 of the teams 47 first half points. DeVries had 16, Dorn 14 and Wilkerson 13 in the first half shooting 15-29 from the field, 8-18 from three-point range and Dorn made all five of his free throws. Alexis and Conerway had 2 points each in the first half. Francis scored 21 of the teams 32 points in the first half as he carried the load for his team throughout the game.

  Indiana outscored Rutgers 35-27 in the second half as the Scarlet Knights would put together a couple of mini runs but the Hoosiers hot shooting ended though runs. Rutgers struggled down the stretch, making just 1 of their last 10 field goals and missed the last 7 and did not hit a field goal for the last five minutes and 53 seconds of the game. Indiana leads the all-time series 10-9 as the Hoosiers have won two in a row and three of the last four meetings in the series. This is the Hoosiers’ first win in Piscataway since February 5, 2018, when the Hoosiers won 65-43 as Indiana won the first three meetings at Rutgers and snaps a five-game losing streak in Jersey Mike’s Arena as the Hoosiers are 4-5 all-time in Piscataway.

    This was a game that Indiana needed to get things in the right direction. When the Hoosiers are shooting well, they are shooting well and when they are not as we have seen the last four games it is a long night. Indiana will come into their game against Purdue Tuesday Night with their second Big Ten Road Win off the season and with Purdue coming to town Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall will be electric in the first of two meetings between the two teams the season with the rematch coming Mackey Arena in late February.