Indiana Cruises Past Morehead State 88-53 Despite Slow Start in Season Opener
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Maybe it was opening night jitters, maybe it was just a longer-than-necessary lull, but No. 13 Indiana staggered out of the gate in its season opener on Monday night against Morehead State.
But once they got going, they cruised to an easy 88-53 victory over their Ohio Valley Conference opponent, dominating inside and going on several long runs that were spurred by an improved defensive effort.
"It was us just settling in because everyone had a little bit of nerves coming into the first game,'' Indiana forward Race Thompson said. "But I think everybody settled in and calmed down a little bit. We locked in on defense, and once we got settled in on defense, everything took care of itself.''
It sure did.
The game was tied at 21-21 with 9 minutes to go in the first half, but then Indiana's bench got things in gear. Junior forward Jordan Geronimo, who finished with 10 points, had two quick baskets to get the Hoosiers rolling on a 13-0 run. They added runs of 17-4 and 18-5 to blow the game open.
Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman big man Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 15 points each. Geromino was the only other Hoosier in double figures, but 12 Hoosiers in all scored on opening night.
"This was the first game for these guys. I don't know if we were jittery or not, but you've got to give Morehead State credit,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "I thought we came out with a great start, you know, but you got to give Morehead State some credit. They didn't lay down. They fought early. But I thought the second half we turned it up from a defensive standpoint, did what we had to do to secure the win.''
Indiana's bench played a big part in several rallies. Sophomore guard Tamar Bates played well, scoring nine points. And Reneau carried the group inside.
"As a team, we feel like we've got 10, 11, 12 starters, and we've seen that since we started practicing this summer,'' Thompson said. "And with Malik, you can't speed him up, He gets to his spots, and I have to guard him every day. He has really good footwork, and really good ball fakes.''
Geronimo understands his role coming off the bench, and they take a lot of pride in delivering as starters, just off the bench.
"It's really important for us to come in and have no drop-off,'' Geronimo said. "We have to come with energy, and when energy is applied, it will show on the court. We went on a run, got some easy points and you've got to have that pop when you come in.''
Morehead State, the favorites to win the OVC this year, made six three-pointers in the first half, including a 30-footer at the buzzer to make it 41-29 at the break.
"We looked at some film and saw what we could improve on. We really focused on guarding the three-point line (in the second half),'' Thompson said. "They got a lot of their points from three in the first half. We knew we could improve and so what we could do in the second half, and that's what we did when we came out.''
Freshman Malik Reneau scored 15 points in his college debut for Indiana (USA TODAY Sports)
Morehead managed just 24 points in the second half, making just three three-pointers. They made consecutive baskets only once in the entire half.
"When you hold them to 24 points the second half, I say defensively we did a solid job,'' Woodson said. "I thought our switching, we got burned a couple times, but for the most part I thought our switching was on par.''
Jackson-Davis, who played with his right hand and wrist taped, moved up to No. 13 on Indiana's all-time scoring list with his 15 points. He passed Greg Graham and Scott May.
Thompson had nine points in 17 minutes, including a three-pointer. Miller Kopp hit two three-pointers as well midway through the second half, spurring a 17-4 run that blew the game open. Kopp also made both free throws and finished with eight points.
Kopp hitting shots makes a big difference for this team.
"I mean, when you got good looks, I expect you to make them,'' Woodson said of Kopp's three-point shooting. "He made two big ones to kind of expand our lead, but I think all the guys that are shooting the three ball on our team can make it.
That's just how I feel after watching them the last four and a half, five months. When we get them, we've just got to knock them down. That's kind of how I look at it.''
Indiana is back in action on Thursday night when it takes on Bethune-Cookman at Assembly Hall. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Bethune-Cookman opened its season at Iowa on Monday night, and lost 89-58 to the Hawkeyes.
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- WATCH TAMAR BATES' SLAM DUNK: Indiana Malik Reneau found Tamar Bates for an easy dunk against Morehead State. CLICK HERE
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- 2022-23 INDIANA BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The 2022-2023 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball scheduled is now finalized with game time and TV information for every matchup. Here is the full schedule, plus links to our stories for the game already played. CLICK HERE
