Sam Alexis scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds as Indiana cruised to a 77-47 win over Minnesota in a Big Ten game on Wednesday in Bloomington, Ind.
Lamar Wilkerson added 16 points and Tucker DeVries posted 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Nick Dorn contributed 11 points for Indiana (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Cade Tyson led Minnesota (14-16, 7-12) with 21 points. Isaac Asuma chipped in 13 points for the Golden Gophers, who failed to carry over momentum from Saturday’s win over UCLA.
While both teams locked up first-round byes in next week’s Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers’ win boosts their odds of making the NCAA Tournament. Indiana was the last team in the field in ESPN’s latest bracket projection before this blowout win.
Indiana wasted little time making its case as it got off to a roaring start. A 7-0 run behind four points from Alexis led to an 11-4 lead. That rally was followed by a 9-0 run where Alexis again racked up four points with a layup and an alley-oop dunk for a 20-6 Hoosiers lead.
After a Minnesota timeout, the Golden Gophers finally got a bucket when Tyson’s driving layup rattled in as he was fouled for a three-point play and a 20-9 deficit.
From there, the Golden Gophers reeled off their own scoring flurry, using a 13-2 spree to trail 22-19 on another Tyson three-point play.
Indiana ended the first half on an 8-0 run, as Wilkerson and DeVries used slick crossovers to shake free for 3-pointers from the top of the key on consecutive possessions. DeVrie’s two-hand slam in the closing seconds gave Indiana a 43-28 halftime lead.
In the second half, Indiana built a 62-40 lead on Nick Dorn’s three with 9:43 remaining. Indiana shot 57.4% (31 of 54) from the field and 41.7% (10 of 24) from three-point range, while the Golden Gophers shot 32.1% (17 of 53) from the field and 23.8% (5 of 21) from beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers outscored Minnesota 40-22 in the paint and turned 11 Minnesota turnovers into 17 points. The Golden Gophers forced 10 Indiana turnovers but only converted them into three points.
