At the Buzzer: Indiana 89, Wright State 80

  • 11/16/2023 9:12 pm in

Quick thoughts on an 89-80 win against Wright State:

How it happened

Indiana was engaged out of gate against Wright State. The Hoosiers opened a 15-point lead at 28-13 on the Raiders and looked crisp on both ends. But Indiana let off the gas defensively and Wright State made the Hoosiers pay. The Raiders scored 36 points over the final 10:10 of the first half. The Hoosiers led just 54-49 at the break as they surrendered 1.3 points per possession. The Wright State backcourt, without their top player Trey Calvin, had 26 points before intermission. The Raiders, a low-volume 3-point shooting team, shot 7-for-16 from distance in the opening half. Kel’el Ware continued his strong play with 12 points and six rebounds in 15 first-half minutes.

After Wright State got within four at 62-58 with 16:37 to play, Indiana responded with a 7-2 burst to grab a 69-60 advantage at the under-12 media timeout. Just before the timeout, Wright State guard Tanner Holden, who had 20 points at the time, picked up his fourth foul and had to go to the bench. After IU stretched the lead to 11 at 71-60, Wright State scored the next seven to get within four at the 8:28 mark. The Hoosiers responded with an 8-1 run to stretch the lead to 11 at 79-68 with 6:16 to play. That push was enough for Indiana to get some separation and its third victory of the season.

Standout performer

Kel’el Ware was dominant again, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 32 minutes.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana struggled from the free throw line (20-for-32) and was outscored by 24 from behind the 3-point line. The Hoosiers, however, outscored Wright State 56-24 in the paint and scored 1.18 points per possession.

Final IU individual statistics

Final tempo-free statistics

Assembly Call postgame show

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