How it Happened: Indiana's offense powers it to 101-70 win over Milwaukee

On Wednesday night at Assembly Hall, Indiana trounced Milwaukee 101-70 behind another impressive performance on the offensive side of the ball.

The Hoosiers were able to score 100 for the second straight contest and hit 14 of 28 3-pointers. They shot the ball incredibly well once again, keeping up with the reputation Darian DeVries’ team has quickly developed.

Indiana shot 34 for 60 from the floor, while the Panthers were held to 29 of 62 shooting throughout the ballgame. The second half was the turning point, as Milwaukee was able to make tough shots early on but not so much in the second half.

Rebounding was another key to this one, with Indiana winning the battle on the boards by four, though it was out-rebounded by six in the first half.

Lamar Wilkerson led all scorers with 24 points, while Indiana had three other double-figure scorers. Tayton Conerway had 21 for his highest point total this season, while Reed Bailey had 14 and Tucker DeVries had 12.

Twenty-three of 34 made baskets were assisted on, as the Hoosiers continued to play sound offense en route to a 3-0 record.

With that, here’s how it happened:

Offense scores 50-plus in another first half

In each of Indiana’s three regular-season games, it totaled 50 or more points in the first half, and Wednesday versus Milwaukee was no different.

Indiana scored 51 behind an impressive showing from beyond the arc, totaling nine 3s on 14 attempts. This team has branded itself as a 3-point-shooting ballclub, and it was on full display early on against the Panthers.

Wilkerson hit four of his five long-range shots in the opening half, wrapping up his first half with a game-leading 15 points. He wasn’t hesitating to shoot from deep, and you could understand why with the way he was filling it up early on.

Wilkerson wasn’t the only one to step up from 3, though, as Trent Sisley hit both of his 3-point attempts, with them coming within three possessions. Tayton Conerway, Conor Enright and Reed Bailey all added a 3-pointer as well, giving IU five players who hit from long distance in the first half.

The Hoosiers executed up and down the floor on fast breaks, while they got the fans on their feet once again with an off-the-backboard alley-oop from Enright to Bailey. Indiana is an offensive-minded team, and it showed.

Unfortunately for Indiana, Milwaukee also played an impressive first half on the offensive side of the ball. The Panthers shot 5 of 11 from 3 and were hitting contested jumpers throughout the first 20 minutes.

With a 20-14 rebounding advantage, Milwaukee wouldn’t go away in the first half, as Indiana needed more shot-making in the second to secure the win.

Defense, rebounding vastly improved in second half

While its first-half defense and rebounding weren’t up to standard, Indiana was able to make the necessary adjustments in the final 20 minutes of the ballgame.

After getting out-rebounded by six in the opening half, Indiana grabbed 21 rebounds in the second half compared to Milwaukee’s 11.

These rebounds led to 13 second-chance points, a massive improvement over the zero second-chance buckets seen in the first half.

Rebounding was certainly an improvement, but Indiana’s defense forced Milwaukee to have a much worse time shooting the ball compared to what was seen early on. The Panthers made just 14 of 30 shots after halftime and drained exactly zero 3s.

Milwaukee was making tough shots in the first half, but Indiana made sure that wasn’t the case as the game went on, and the scoreboard reflected just how different Indiana’s defense was playing.

It forced six turnovers, as Indiana’s hands were active and, on several occasions, turned a great defensive possession into a bucket on the other end.

When it was all said and done, Indiana was able to cruise to victory, and a large part of that was due to Milwaukee having a significantly worse offensive half compared to the first. The Hoosiers’ defense deserves a ton of credit, as it made sure this one wasn’t going to be a shootout that went down to the wire.

Nick Dorn appears for first time this season

For the first time as an Indiana Hoosier, transfer guard Nick Dorn appeared in a ballgame. He played seven minutes and scored eight points off the bench.

On his first possession on the floor, Dorn assisted on a Wilkerson 3-pointer, and on his second time down the floor, Dorn made what appeared to be his first 3 as a Hoosier.

Unfortunately for him, it was ruled a long 2-pointer, but his first basket in the cream and crimson energized the fans. They knew it was a big moment, and Dorn appeared ecstatic to be out there.

He underwent surgery on his foot in the offseason and missed Indiana’s first two regular-season contests. While he was still questionable ahead of Wednesday’s tipoff, he was ready for action and made some nice plays in his first live-game action of the season.

While Dorn looks to be off the injury report moving forward, guards Jason Drake and Alex Ristic, along with forward Josh Harris, remained out.

With Dorn back in the lineup, the Hoosiers had a phenomenal offensive showing, resulting in a one-sided victory over Milwaukee to improve IU to 3-0 on the young season.

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