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IU basketball snapped a four-game losing streak with an 82-59 win against Rutgers on Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Here are five takeaways from the win against the Scarlet Knights:
Hoosiers catch fire from the perimeter
Indiana had one of its best shooting performances of the season in Friday’s win at Rutgers.
The Hoosiers shot 15-for-35 from distance in the 23-point win and were hot in both halves.
Indiana set the tone early and went 8-for-20 on 3s in the first half to build a 47-32 lead by halftime.
And in the second half, perimeter shooting helped IU pull away. The Hoosiers were 7-for-15 on 3s over the final 20 minutes.
The 15 made 3-pointers tied for the second-highest total of the season for Indiana. It marked the 13th time this season the Hoosiers have made 10 or more triples in a game.
It was also the first time since the Washington win on January 4 that IU has shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Nick Dorn shines in first start of the season
With Tayton Conerway not 100 percent due to an ankle injury he suffered in IU’s loss to Iowa last weekend, Nick Dorn entered the starting lineup for the first time this season.
Dorn took advantage of the opportunity.
The 6-foot-7 junior played a season-high 36 minutes and exploded for 23 points. It was his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season.
Dorn was 6-for-10 on 3-pointers and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. He also had two steals.
For the season, Dorn is 37-for-82 on 3s (45.1 percent) and in Big Ten play, he’s 18-for-40 (45 percent).
Tucker DeVries continues where he left off in the second half at Michigan
Although all of the damage Tucker DeVries did against Michigan happened when the game was already out of reach, he appeared to regain his shooting touch late in Ann Arbor.
DeVries scored 15 points late against the Wolverines and made four 3-pointers in the 14-point loss.
The hot shooting carried over to Friday’s game as DeVries got off to a strong start.
The two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, who had been in a prolonged slump, went 9-for-20 from the field and made four 3-pointers in 37 minutes.
DeVries finished with 22 points, his highest scoring output since he scored 26 points in a loss against Louisville on December 6.
He also had 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal for arguably his most well-rounded game of the season.
Lamar Wilkerson rebounds from tough games against Iowa and Michigan
Indiana’s leading scorer, Lamar Wilkerson, scored a total of 18 points and went 1-for-10 on 3-pointers in recent losses to Iowa and Michigan.
Wilkerson returned to the form he’s displayed for most of the season against Rutgers.
He earned his seventh KenPom Game MVP of the season and finished with 27 points in 29 minutes.
Wilkerson was 6-for-6 on 2s, which included some difficult shots from the midrange, and was 5-for-11 on 3s.
Through 20 games, Wilkerson is 67-for-165 on 3-pointers, good for 40.6 percent. In Big Ten play, he’s 34-for-81 on 3s, which is 42 percent.
Indiana took care of the ball, kept Rutgers off of the offensive glass and defended without fouling
Beyond the terrific 3-point shooting, the Hoosiers excelled in three key areas, allowing them to leave the Garden State with a blowout victory.
Indiana only committed five turnovers in Friday’s win for a turnover percentage of 8.5. It was the second-lowest turnover percentage in a game for the Hoosiers this season.
Rutgers also managed an offensive rebounding percentage of just 23.7. For the season, Rutgers is rebounding 33.5 percent of its missed shots.
Sam Alexis was a big part of IU’s strong defensive rebounding. The 6-foot-9 senior finished with 10 rebounds, seven on the defensive end.
Indiana also limited Rutgers’ trips to the free-throw line. A key to an otherwise limited Scarlet Knight offense is getting to the stripe. For the season, Rutgers has a free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) of 39.2 percent, which ranks in the top 100 nationally.
On Friday, Rutgers managed a free-throw rate of 24.1 percent, its fifth-worst performance of the season.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
See More: Five Takeaways, Lamar Wilkerson, Nick Dorn, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Tucker DeVries
