How it Happened: Indiana defeats Baylor 76-74 in Indianapolis exhibition

From Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana defeated Baylor 76-74 in an exhibition matchup that went down to the final possession.

The Bears threw the first punch, as they led by as many as 13 in the first half, but Indiana battled back with defensive intensity and impressive ball movement. The shooting wasn’t there for the Hoosiers for the majority of the game, but IU made the most of it and had its defense turn into offense.

Tayton Conerway made the game-winning play, as he made an impressive layup to give IU the lead, and eventually the win, in the preseason matchup.

Indiana shot 25-for-57 in the ballgame, while Baylor made 24-of-60 field goals. The Hoosiers made 6-of-24 shots from deep, with the Bears making 8 of their 24 3-point attempts.

Lamar Wilkerson was the leading scorer with 28 points, as he put together a nice bounce-back performance after totaling just eight points in the first exhibition against Marian.

All things considered, it was a promising performance from Indiana. In a game designed to gain experience against power competition, the Hoosiers checked off most boxes while also securing the hard-fought victory.

With that, here’s how it happened in Indiana’s last go-around before the regular season begins on Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M.

Indiana starts out slow, but responds in first half

In the first half, we got to see what happens when Indiana doesn’t shoot the ball well. The Hoosiers made just 2-of-10 3-pointers, and for a team that will look to base its identity from beyond the arc, they had to find other ways to be successful.

Early on, Indiana couldn’t respond. With shots not falling, Baylor was able to build a lead, growing it to as many as 13 points with just under eight minutes left in the opening half. The Bears were the more aggressive team, and it showed with how they were playing on defense.

That defensive energy led to offense, and before the Hoosiers knew it, they were starting to get run off the floor. Indiana eventually figured it out, though, and found a way to stay in the ballgame without the 3-pointers falling.

Intensity was turned way up, and the Hoosiers were able to prevent Baylor from controlling the pace for the rest of the half. When the clock hit triple zeroes, Indiana was behind 41-36, giving it a shot to compete in the second half with how well it ended the first.

Of the 13 made field goals, nine came from assists. Ball movement was key, and when the energy was up, the results followed. Defense began turning into offense, and even though 3-pointers weren’t there, Indiana found a way to be successful nonetheless.

It was an incredibly important lesson, as shots won’t fall in every game, and in an exhibition, Indiana got to experience what it takes to combat that against a power-conference opponent.

Defense shows its intensity in second half

The Hoosiers continued their momentum in the second half, with their defense generating even more energy en route to a comeback victory over the Bears. Indiana was active on the perimeter, while its post defense was more than impressive given its size.

Indiana held Baylor to 9-for-31 shooting in the second half while it forced seven turnovers out of the Bears. With energy as its main focus, Indiana ran the floor well and was defending the perimeter with active hands.

With a poor offensive half for Baylor, the Hoosiers found themselves in control for a good portion of the second half. Even when it wasn’t shooting the lights out once again, it didn’t matter.

There were several questions surrounding Indiana’s defense ahead of the season, and it feels like IU answered many of them with its performance against Baylor. The Bears might not be one of the most talented teams in the country, but it’s still Power Four competition, and Indiana was the better defensive team in the second half.

Big Ten competition will certainly get tougher, but the Hoosiers proved they can hang with a well-coached team and battle adversity. In an exhibition, they could’ve coasted after being down by 10-plus in the first half, but the defense wouldn’t relent and showed.

Hoosiers forced to execute in late-game situations

Exhibitions are all about learning about your team ahead of the regular season, and for Indiana against Baylor, it learned what it was made of in the clutch.

After leading for most of the half, the Hoosiers went cold late in the game and allowed the Bears to creep back into it. Baylor took a 70-68 lead with 2:10 to go, but Indiana battled adversity well once again.

The Bears hit another late 3 as the half neared its end, taking a 73-72 lead with 1:16 to play, but Indiana still fought back. Tucker DeVries made a 12-footer from the baseline to give Indiana the lead, and after the Bears hit 1-of-2 free throws on the next possession, Indiana had the ball with the game tied.

There were 12 seconds on the clock, Conerway went coast to coast and made a reverse layup to give Indiana the last-second lead. The Hoosiers prevented a buzzer-beater on the other end, ending the exhibition with a 76-74 Indiana victory.

Late-game execution was a major issue for Indiana last season, but it wasn’t here. It’s only the preseason, but the Hoosiers looked poised and battled adversity extremely well against the Bears in Indianapolis.

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