3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 81-60 Win vs Siena

If only just, Indiana men's basketball sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson thought about launching a right wing 3-pointer.

Siena had every reason to believe Wilkerson would fire. He scored 12 of Indiana's first 22 points, including a pair of triples, and entered Monday night's game shooting 42.9% from 3-point range.

But Wilkerson held off. Instead, he dribbled twice, drove into the lane and forced Siena's defense to collapse. Then, Wilkerson whipped a pass to the left corner, where junior forward Nick Dorn sank an open 3-pointer, extending the Hoosiers' lead to 25-11.

The play — spearheaded by Wilkerson's aggression and intentionality getting downhill and Dorn's 3-point mastery — served as a microcosm of Indiana's offense Monday night.

Indiana (10-3) led by double digits for the final 37 minutes en route to an 81-60 victory over Siena (9-4) on Monday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Here are three takeaways from the Hoosiers' victory, which capped Darian DeVries' first non-conference slate as the program's head coach.

Wilkerson stars as three-headed trio leads scoring charge

Wilkerson tallied a game-high 23 points, 19 of which came in the first half, on 7-for-15 shooting while going 3 of 7 from 3-point range. Wilkerson played one of his most complete games this season, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing four assists and adding a few nifty finishes at the rim.

The Ashdown, Ark., native was aggressive, physical and willing to put the ball on the floor. Known as a long-range marksman, Wilkerson's ability to do more than shoot figures to be an important added bonus during Big Ten play.

Wilkerson played 14 minutes in the second half, missing action due to foul trouble. But in his absence, sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway rose to the occasion.

Conerway poured in 16 points, with 12 coming in the second half, to go along with four assists. Conerway went 5-for-8 shooting from the field during the final period.

Sixth-year senior forward Tucker DeVries capped the Hoosiers' trio of scorers above 15 points, as DeVries registered 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting while adding a team-high 11 rebounds.

Dorn also reached double figures, scoring 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting, with all of his attempts coming from long range.

Second half struggles carry onward

For the third consecutive game, Indiana lost the second half. The Hoosiers carried a 46-20 lead into halftime, but Siena outscored Indiana, 40-35, after the break.

The Hoosiers started 2-for-12 shooting from the field in the second half to Siena's 8 of 16, and Indiana recorded five turnovers and no assists through the first 10 minutes of the final period. Subsequently, the Saints trimmed their deficit to 15 points before the Hoosiers hit their stride.

Nevertheless, Indiana suffered a lapse out of the locker room. The Hoosiers didn't record their first assist in the second half until there were only 9 minutes and 37 seconds remaining. Siena surpassed its first-half point total in just over 10 minutes of action.

Indiana has made it a recent habit to struggle in the second half. Kentucky outscored the Hoosiers, 40-21, over the final 20 minutes Dec. 13 in Lexington. Indiana led Chicago State, 52-29, at halftime Dec. 20 before the Cougars won the second half, 29-26, in a 78-58 loss.

Indiana's non-conference resume finalized

Monday marked the Hoosiers' final out-of-conference game of the regular season. Indiana went 9-2 across 11 non-conference games, with its losses coming to Louisville and Kentucky. The Hoosiers lack marquee wins, though they defeated Big 12 squad Kansas State and took a convincing win over Big East foe Marquette.

Kansas State is No. 52 in the NET and serves as Indiana's lone Quadrant 2 victory. Of the Hoosiers' nine additional non-conference wins, none came against teams ranked inside the top 150 in the NET. Indiana played four high-major teams in Marquette, Kansas State, Louisville and Kentucky, and the Hoosiers went 2-2.

Indiana didn't suffer any ugly losses that will haunt it come Selection Sunday, but the Hoosiers also didn't get any signature wins. Collectively, Indiana's non-conference resume won't be an asset, but it also shouldn't be a disqualifier.

The Hoosiers will, however, need a strong run in Big Ten play to make the NCAA tournament in Darian DeVries' first season at the helm — and they'll start the mission Jan. 4 against Washington at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.