3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 101-70 Win vs Milwaukee

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Head coach Darian DeVries clapped his hands from the front of Indiana men's basketball's bench. Senior guard Conor Enright raised his right arm, urging fans to yell louder. Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries did the same.

Moments earlier, Enright threw a lob off the backboard and into the soaring arms of senior forward Reed Bailey, who flushed a thunderous dunk and sent fans roaring Wednesday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Moments later, Milwaukee senior forward Danilo Jovanovich nailed a difficult turnaround jump shot over the arms of Tucker DeVries, trimming the Panthers' deficit to 42-29. Milwaukee soon pulled within 43-36 before Indiana extended its lead to 51-39 at halftime.

Such was life Wednesday night for the Hoosiers, who delivered another quality offensive performance — enough to never feel truly challenged in the second half — but struggled to consistently string together defensive stops against Milwaukee, the preseason Horizon League favorites.

But Indiana (3-0) prevailed, taking a 101-70 win over Milwaukee (2-2) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Hoosiers' third regular season victory.

Indiana's 3-point mastery continues

The Hoosiers entered halftime shooting 9 for 14 from beyond the arc, a 64.3% clip, meaning they closed the season's first 100 minutes at 33-for-66 shooting from distance. In simpler terms, Indiana, its first five halves under Darian DeVries, shot 50% from 3-point range on considerable volume.

Indiana finished 14-of-28 shooting from deep, spearheaded by five triples from redshirt senior guard Lamar Wilkerson. Tucker DeVries and freshman forward Trent Sisley added two 3-pointers apiece, while Bailey, Enright, sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway and junior guard Jasai Miles each made one triple.

Through three games, the Darian DeVries-led Hoosiers are 38 of 80 from long range after shooting just 32.1% last season under coach Mike Woodson.

Milwaukee makes tough shots, Hoosiers win rebounding battle

Milwaukee scored a hard-fought 70 points, most of which came from contested jump shots. The Panthers made 29 field goals but dished only seven assists; there were few successful catch-and-shoot or play creations.

Much of Milwaukee's offense came in isolation settings, and the Panthers hit several difficult shots en route to shooting 46.8% from the field. Milwaukee went only 5-for-16 shooting from distance and didn't make a triple in the second half.

Indiana rebounded better in the second half, too. The Panthers held a 20-14 rebounding edge at halftime, but the Hoosiers controlled the glass in the latter 20 minutes, pulling down 21 boards to Milwaukee's 11.

Wilkerson, Conerway enjoy productive outings

Indiana's roommate combination of Wilkerson and Conerway paced the way in scoring. Wilkerson led all scorers with 24 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 5 of 7 from distance, while Conerway notched a season-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Conerway added six assists while making his first 3-pointer in the cream and crimson. Wilkerson recorded two steals, two assists and one rebound.