By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Indiana Hoosiers are 3-0 on the season after an 83-80 win over the Syracuse Orange Monday Night as part of the Bay Boy Mowers Series at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana beat Syracuse 74-73 on March 30, 1987, in New Orleans, Louisiana to win the programs fifth national championship. Since that meeting the Orange have beaten the Hoosiers six straight times. These two programs were meeting at neutral site for the sixth time in eight meetings and this was the first time the two have met in the Hoosier State.
Indiana is 3-0 on the season and will host Tennessee Tech on Thursday Night at 6:30 PM inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Syracuse is 2-1 on the season after home wins over New Haven 74-58 and Central Connecticut State 102-49 and will face St. John’s on Sunday evening at 7 PM at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Darren Harris and Markus Burton led the Hoosiers with 20 points apiece, Jaeden Mustaf scored 18 points, and Bryce Linsday added 11 points off the bench. Seven-Foot Two Center Samet Yigitolou pulled down 10 rebounds and along with 8 points. Indiana went 26-42 from the field for 42%, 9-25 from three-point range for 36% and 22-26 from the free throw line for 85%. The Hoosiers had 37 rebounds, 15 assists, 11 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block. The Hoosiers had 28 points in the paint, 20 points off turnovers, 12 second chance points, 11 bench points and 6 fastbreak points.
Ryan Moesch led Syracuse with 19 points and Kiyan Anthony added 16 points they combined for 35 of the 40 bench points. Anthony is the son of Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony who led Syracuse to the 2003 National Championship along with current Syracuse Head Coach Gerry McNamara. Kyian played 26 minutes going 4-9 form the field, 2-4 from three-point range and 6-6 from the free throw line for 16 points along with 3 assists and a block. Sadiq White Jr. added 13 points, and Luke Wilson scored 11 points.
The Orange were 28-50 from the field for 51%, 8-19 from three-point range for 42% and 16-20 from the free throw line for 80%. Syracuse had 28 rebounds, 12 assists, 12 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks. The Orange had 32 points in the paint, 9 second chance points, 8 points off turnovers and 6 second chance points. The game had 11 ties and 13 lead changes and the crowd of 5,047 was treated to an exciting game.
Syracuse jumped to an 8-2 lead and led 18-11 for its largest lead of the game. Indiana battled back with Burton, Mustaf, Harris and Linsday scoring 21 of the teams 23 points as Syracuse led 38-34 at halftime. In the second half Darren Harris came out on fire as he went on an 8-0 run by himself to give the Hoosiers a 42-38 lead. Indiana led by five points on four different occasions, but the game stayed tight throughout.
Syracuse went ahead 70-69 on Luke Wilson’s basket with 3:33 remaining, but Burton hit a 3-pointer 48 seconds later to put Indiana back in front. After the Orange tied it twice more, Harris made three free throws with 1:14 left to give the Hoosiers a 77-74 lead. Jaden Mustaf added a dunk with 25 seconds remaining, and Indiana went 6 of 6 from the foul line in the final 1:14 to seal it for the Hoosiers and end the six-game losing streak to the Orange.
The Hoosiers figured out a way to win and got it done from the free throw line. Indiana Head Coach Darian DeVries was happy with how his team responded to being down five points with six minutes left in the game. “That’s probably the biggest takeaway from a coaching standpoint to see that response,” Indiana Head Coach Darian Devries said. “The guys did a great job. “It was late in the game, we’re down by five and I liked the communication. There wasn’t a lot of panic. It was very much the next play.”
The Hoosiers went 17-18 in the second half from the free throw line. “That’s huge,” Indiana Guard Jaeden Mustaf said. “We shoot a lot of free throws. It’s everybody trusting the process and staying together. Everybody knows free throws are what wins games.” So does elite guard play. IU is loaded with veterans who rise to the challenge. “They are talented and tough to guard,” Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara said. “Mustaf and Burton shoot the blood out of it from the perimeter. I thought Lindsay had played the best of all of them. It’s a good backcourt. They’ll be a handful for a lot of teams.”
Indiana’s frontcourt with 7-foot-2 Samet Yigitoglu and 7-foot Aiden Sherrell (six points, 2-for-2 on three-pointers) is equally imposing. They led IU’s 37-28 rebound advantage. “We knew rebounding would be an issue,” McNamara said. “These guys are big and physical around the rim. They are tough to keep off the glass.” As for Yigitoglu and Sherrell, McNamara added, “They are different. Yigitoglu is as big as a human being as there is in college. He’s a load down there. “Sherrel can stretch and pick and pop. They are two tough players to deal with. They complement one another.”
Coach DeVries is happy with the win but knows Hoosiers must improve on the defensive end “We’ve got to get better,” DeVries said. “We have to take some steps there. That’s something that has to happen and happen quickly.” That’s especially true with games against Arkansas in New York City and Kentucky at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium coming in the 10 days. “We try to reinforce that confidence to not be afraid of the moment and just trust it,” DeVries said. “I like the way the guys are functioning on offense, the way they’re sharing it, moving it, playing the way we want them to play.”