Improving Hoosiers charge past Illini

[March 08, 2019]  Juwan Morgan's 20 points led five Indiana players in double figures Thursday night as the Hoosiers earned a 92-74 Big Ten Conference win over Illinois in Champaign, Ill.

Morgan also grabbed nine rebounds for the Hoosiers (16-14, 7-12 Big Ten), who despite a mediocre overall record own three straight wins, the first two coming against ranked opponents, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Indiana hopes its season sweep of the Spartans could sway the NCAA Tournament committee regarding a possible at-large berth even though the Hoosiers lost 12 of 13 games in one stretch during conference play.

Robert Phinisee added 17 points for Indiana, while Justin Smith scored 15, Devonte Green hit for 11 and Romeo Langford tallied 10. The Hoosiers sank 55.4 percent of their field-goal tries and committed just seven turnovers against the Fighting Illini's pressure defense.

Freshman Ayo Dosunmu scored 16 points to pace five Illinois players in double figures. Another freshman, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, added 15. Trent Frazier kicked in 13 points, and Andres Feliz and Aaron Jordan chipped in 11 apiece.

The Illini (11-19, 7-12) canned 50 percent from the field and hit 10 of 21 3-point attempts, but they were outrebounded 35-27, allowing Indiana to rebound more than a third of its missed shots. It was the fourth loss in five games for Illinois.

The first half was defense optional for the most part, with Illinois establishing a 16-12 lead at the 13:45 mark when Kipper Nichols stroked a 3-pointer off a Dosunmu assist.

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) shoots defended by Indiana Hoosiers guard Devonte Green (11) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana ripped off a 14-2 run over the next 3:11, opening up a 26-18 advantage with 9:40 left when Green canned consecutive 3-pointers. The teams basically spent the half's remainder trading buckets.

Three-point plays by Adonis De La Rosa and Feliz pulled the Illini within 43-35 with 3:44 remaining in the half, but the Hoosiers promptly scored on their next four possessions. Langford capped the run with a 3-pointer that enabled Indiana to head for halftime with a 52-42 lead.

--Field Level Media

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