Hoosiers Soar Past Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Written by: TJ Inman

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles entered Thursday night’s contest against the Indiana Hoosiers averaging more than 100 points per game but a strong defensive effort in the second half from the hosts locked their offense up and allowed IU to cruise to a 90-66 victory. The Golden Eagles mucked the game up in the first 20 minutes and trailed only 41-37 at the break. They were limited to just 28 points after halftime as Indiana dominated in the paint and methodically extended the lead to as many as 29 before pulling the regular rotation players.

Samet Yigitoglu began the game with six points in the paint but the big man was raked across the face and headed to the locker room with blood pouring from a cut on his eye. That set the tone for the first half as Tennessee Tech scratched and clawed their way to 18 fouls by halftime. Yigitoglu was able to reenter after getting stitches on his eyelid and he finished a strong performance with 18 points and 6 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Aiden Sherrell was also effective, posting 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Markus Burton, Jaeden Mustaf, Trevor Manhertz and Bryce Lindsay joined the frontcourt duo in double-figures. It was a spurt early in the second half by Lindsay that buried the Golden Eagles and he finished with 15 points in 24 minutes.

Key Stats

-Indiana, as you would expect against a Southern Conference team, dominated in the paint. The Hoosiers outscored Tennessee Tech 44-28 in that area.

-Indiana’s balanced scoring showed up again. Six IU players were in double-figures.

-Tennessee Tech plays a hectic style that is high on defensive pressure and it bothered IU a bit. The Hoosiers had 14 turnovers. Arkansas will play a similar style.

Coming Up

Indiana is now 4-0 but the next week is gigantic. The Hoosiers take on Arkansas and Kentucky next and both games represent a major opportunity for a marquee non-conference victory.