Hoosiers dominate USC in second half to win fifth straight game
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Five straight.
Despite the sub-freezing temperatures outside of Assembly Hall, the Indiana Hoosiers are on a heater. IU won its fifth-straight after a dominant second half performance against new Big Ten foe USC. The Hoosiers outscored the Trojans 44-31 in that second frame to win, 82-69.
“Our team has shown that they don’t quit,” Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson said. “We got to give Southern Cal credit because they came ready to play, and I thought they were the most physical team starting the game, and once we got going and met their physicality, then we got back in the game and started playing Indiana basketball, which was nice to see.”
The Trojans made their first trip to Assembly Hall in program history and took control early. USC led by as much as 10 points in the first half as the Hoosiers couldn’t buy a basket. At one point, the Trojans were shooting 60 percent from the field while the Hoosiers had a measly 24 percent.
The shots started falling for the Hoosiers after the under-8 minute media timeout. IU sped out to a 12-2 run, taking their first lead of the night with an Oumar Ballo layup. The Hoosiers went into halftime tied at 38.
“They came out the gate pretty physical and outshot us a little bit, but the way we responded was great,” senior guard Trey Galloway said. “I think just punching back was big for us. The way we responded was great. We obviously we made some shots, but we started to defend. We got back and finished.”
Ballo led the way for the Hoosiers with 23 points, 13 of that total coming in the second half. Two big dunks fed by Galloway helped lock in the Hoosiers double-digit lead to put the game just out of reach for the Trojans.
Senior transfer Luke Goode was also consistent all night, starting with dropping in IU’s first three to cut the Trojans’ early lead to two. Goode finished with nearly perfect numbers, making four of five attempts past the arc and closing the game with 16 points.
“To be able to continue to be successful in the Big Ten, in the physical league, we got to keep defending and rebounding,” Goode said postgame. “I think what we’ve been the past five Big Ten games now, the last three, has been great.”
The Hoosiers showed their scoring depth with Galloway (11 points) and Myles Rice (19 points) joining in on the double-digit party — which IU especially needed as the Hoosiers leading scorer this season Mackenzie Mgbako had an uncharacteristically quiet night. The sophomore forward failed to score, going 0-for-11 from the field.
The Hoosiers next 11 games will be against Quad 1 teams. When asked about the tough stretch, Woodson said he’s just focused on the next opponent — Iowa on the road Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.