LIVE BLOG: Indiana Takes on Serbian Club Team BC Mega in the Bahamas Again on Sunday
Indiana wraps up its weeklong trip to the Bahamas on Sunday with its second exhibition game against Serbian professional club team BC Mega. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET
There is no TV, no radio and no streaming, but we'll keep you updated here in our live blog with eyes in the Imperial Ballroom of the Atlantis Paradise Island casino and resort in Nassau, Bahamas
If you don't know how our game-day blog works, just keep the story up and we'll keep refreshing it. The latest items are on the top. Here we go, our last basketball to tie us over until November.
Final score: Indiana 64, BC Mega 53
It's a second straight win for Indiana in the Bahamas, winning 64-52 over Serbian professional club team BC Mega. Xavier Johnson (13 points), Trayce Jackson-Davis (11 points), Tamar Bates (11 points) led the way for Indiana.
Let's get the postgame interviews done, and more stories to come.
Second half nuggets
-- Tamar Bates is in the starting lineup as we start the second half. He's replacing Miller Kopp, who's out with an apparent ankle injury.
-- Xavier Johnson has been the best player on the floor today, on either side. He hits a big step-back three-pointer and now Indiana leads 42-31. He has 11 points so far.
-- Trayce Jackson-Davis has been a double-double machine during his time at Indiana, and he's there again. He's up to 11 points and 10 rebounds now. Hoosiers lead by 10 at 51-41 with 7:37 to go in the second half.
-- Tamar Bates is going to become a fan favorite quickly. He looks so comfortable out there. We've reached the last timeout and Indiana leads 58-45 with 3:25 to go.
Halftime: Indiana 37, BC Mega 30
Once again this weekend, Jordan Geronimo's energy and enthusiasm are paying off in big ways for Indiana. His tip-in at the buzzer gives the Hoosiers a 37-30 lead at the break.
Neither team is shooting very well. At the break, Indiana is 12-for-33 from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range. BC Mega is just 10-for-30 and 4-for-15 from three.
The Hoosiers are keeping Mega star Nikola Jovic in check again, too. He has just five points in the first half, on just 1-for-4 shooting.
X marks the spot
1:25 p.m. ET – Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson dealt with foul trouble through much of the first half of Friday, but we're seeing what he's capable of doing so far on Sunday. He's got six points and two assists already, and Indiana leads 18-11 at the under-12 timeout.
Impressive start so far. Indiana really needed a huge upgrade at the point guard position, and it looks like Johnson is going to fit the bill.
Miller Kopp is back out on the bench now with his teammates, but he's got a big ice pack on his ankle and has it elevated, so it looks like his day is done. That's too bad. He really makes a difference in spreading out this offense.
Even during that last timeout, Kopp stayed seated in the chair. Indiana's offense is stagnant without him – just eight points in the last 7:24 – and now it's 26-25 at the last timeout of the half at the 3:53 mark. The biggest difference from Friday? Indiana's getting nearly as many easy points off of turnovers.
The Hoosiers are just 9-for-27 from the field. Johnson still leads the way with eight points.
Game on! Here we go
1 p.m. ET – For three months, the conversation about Indiana's offense has circled around this new four-out, one-in look, where spots are interchangeable. That ony works when the bigs can knock down jump shots, too.
That's why it was really nice to see Race Thompson knock down a three-pointer to open the game for Indiana. And what a start. All five starters have scored and Indiana jumps out to a quick 12-2 lead at the first timeout.
Miller Kopp took a spill there and came up limping. We'll have to monitor that situation.
Indiana's starting five announced
12:45 p.m. ET – Mike Woodson is going with the same starting lineup for the second game in the series. It's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson up front, with Miller Kopp, Parker Stewart and Xavier Johnson outside.
On Friday, Jackson-Davis led the way with 21 points and Kopp added 14. Tamar Bates came off the bench and scored 14 points, too.
I've got a good feeling that Parker Stewart has a big day for the Hoosiers on Sunday. Indiana coach Mike Woodson said that there have been times this summer where Stewart has been Indiana's best player.
Stewart was just 1-for-5 shooting on Friday, but look for that to improve on Sunday.
Warming up in the ballroom
12:30 p.m. ET – The guys are out on the floor and shooting around. Fans in the stands are sharing some video. We'll link them here.
On Friday night, USF transfer Michael Durr, true freshman Logan Duncomb and sophomore guard Anthony Leal didn't play because of nagging injuries. But Duncomb and Leal are out on the floor warming up this afternoon, so it will be interesting to see if they're good to go for Sunday.
Serbians learning as they go
12:20 p.m. ET Indiana got 10 extra practices this summer to prepare for this trip, and they've been working with Mike Woodson and his staff on the floor for about a month and a half. They're learning a new offense and a new defense, which made it mildly surprising that Indiana won so easily on Friday night, cruising to a 79-66 victory.
BC Mega, though, has only been together for a few weeks themselves, they said after the game. They were working through a lot of kinks on Friday night as well, and it showed. They're expecting a better performance on Sunday, which should make this afternoon's battle all the more interesting.
It's going to see if they can get 6-foot-10 forward Nikola Jovic going. He didn't make a single field goal on Friday, which was surprising considering that many think of his as a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Indiana's attacking defense made him uncomfortable. Parker Stewart had five steals, Trey Galloway gave him fits and several others contributed as well.
Postgame chats from Friday
12:10 p.m. ET – Miller Kopp, Tamar Bates and Tracye-Jackson had a few things to say after the game, and we've got some live video of the interviews. Check it out
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- FRIDAY GAME STORY: Indiana played well on Friday night, leading practically from start to finish in a 79-66 win over BC Mega in the Bahamas. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 21 points. CLICK HERE
- FRIDAY LIVE BLOG: Here's how it all played out in real time in our first live blog of the season. CLICK HERE
- TARGET SETS COMMITMENT DATE: Jalen Hood-Schifino, one of the top combo guards in the country from Montverde Academy in Florida, has announced an Aug. 24 commitment date. Indiana is one of his final five. CLICK HERE
