Hoosiers Stay Undefeated With 85-72 Win Over Lamar
By Evan Massey
The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Lamar Cardinals at Assembly Hall by a final score of 85-72.
Bloomington, IN – The Indiana Hoosiers moved to 4-0 on the season this evening with an 85-72 victory over the visiting Lamar Cardinals. It wasn’t the big win that many were expecting, but Tom Crean’s team was able to get the job done. There aren’t many analysts that believe the Hoosiers have a chance to compete for much more than an NCAA Tournament appearance and early exit, but some have seen potential in IU’s play so far.
Star freshman James Blackmon Jr. once again led the team in scoring with 21 points on 6-10 shooting and 5-7 from behind the three-point arc. He has been exactly the type of scorer that the Hoosiers have needed him to be, and he has done an excellent job of stepping up in his first collegiate season. The Hoosiers will continue to rely on his scoring ability, and the youngster will have to figure out how to continue stepping up for his teammates.
Yogi Ferrell also had a nice game for the Hoosiers tonight, scoring 19 points while shooting 7-12 from the floor. The Hoosiers need him to step up in a big way and take the next step this year, and he is doing that so far.
Robert Johnson scored 13 points on the evening for the Hoosiers, while Hanner Mosquera-Perea scored 11 points in the win. IU’s only other double digit scorer on the night was Troy Williams who chipped in with 10 points.
Tyran de Lattibeaudiere led the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points, while Zjori Basha scored 14 points in the losing effort. Donovan Ross was the only other double digit scorer for Lamar with 11 points on the night.
Needless to say, this wasn’t the most impressive win that the Hoosiers could have had this evening against Lamar. They were more talented than a 13-point win, but the Cardinals didn’t play a bad game at all. Indiana is a very talented team with a nice balance of youth and veterans on the roster, and Crean is very successful at getting the most out of his players.
Indiana will now look forward to their next opponent on Monday night against the Eastern Washington Eagles, who are currently 3-0 on the season.