Race Thompson’s 18-point, 11-rebound double-double helped No. 18 Indiana pull away from Elon for a 96-72 nonconference win Tuesday night in Bloomington, Ind.
Jalen Hood-Schifino added 17 points and seven assists for the Hoosiers (9-3) and Miller Kopp hit for 13 points. Indiana played without its two leading scorers but was still able to get the shots it wanted most of the time, sinking 58 percent from the field and 65.6 percent in the second half.
Freshman Max Mackinnon and Sean Halloran scored 19 and 15 points, respectively, for the Phoenix (2-11). Zac Ervin came off the bench to add 12, but Elon and its eight available scholarship players wore down as the game progressed.
Part of the reason was its height disadvantage, as it played at times with lineups whose tallest players were 6-foot-5. Sam Sherry, a 6-foot-10 forward, fouled out after just 12 minutes, leaving the Phoenix ill-equipped to handle the Hoosiers’ post players.
Any chance of an Elon rally ended quickly in the second half when Indiana used Thompson’s might inside. He scored six straight points in 58 seconds on a jump hook and a pair of layups for a 53-33 margin at the 17:30 mark.
The pregame storyline took an unfavorable twist for Indiana when its top two scorers walked out for pregame warmups in civilian clothes. Xavier Johnson (foot) was already out, but Trayce Jackson-Davis and his 16.4 ppg sat out for what the school called “precautionary reasons.”
Without the duo, the Hoosiers spent most of the first half trading baskets with a lightly-regarded opponent from the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon used the 3-point line to stay in contention, pulling within 27-25 when Ervin nailed one from distance at the 7:08 mark.
But Indiana finally went off for the big run that gave it separation. It outscored the Phoenix 20-4 over the half’s remainder, ending the run with an emphatic putback dunk by CJ Gunn that gave it a 47-29 cushion at intermission.
–Field Level Media