At the buzzer: Indiana 69, Florida Gulf Coast 63

Quick thoughts on the 69-63 win over Florida Gulf Coast:

how did that happen

After a strong performance against NAIA Marian on Friday night, Indiana was separated offensively to start against Florida Gulf Coast. The Hoosiers had no flow on offense and almost made as many free throws (18) as field goals (20) in the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately for Indiana, the shots weren’t falling off the goal line. The Hoosiers shot 10-for-18 from the stripe in the first half. Indiana endured a long scoring drought in the first half, including one that lasted more than seven minutes. Kel’el Ware was a bright spot, totaling eight points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 17 minutes. Defensively, Indiana allowed five 3-pointers, but was limited to just 0.82 points per possession.

Indiana was better offensively early in the second half, scoring 10 points in the first 4:14 to build a four-point lead at 38-34. The Renault owner earned six of those ten points. But Florida Gulf Coast had an answer, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 40 with 13:52 to play. The Eagles extended the lead to six, 48-42, with 10:54 to play on a Dallion Johnson 3-pointer. But Indiana responded with a 10-0 run to take a 52-48 lead with 8:41 left, forcing Pat Chambers to use a timeout. The run extended to 14-0 before Florida Gulf Coast scored on a Johnson jumper with 5:52 remaining. The Hoosiers increased the lead to 11 on a Gabe Cupps 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining. But Florida’s Gulf Coast didn’t give up. The Eagles used an 8-0 run over 42 seconds to get within 65-63. Xavier Johnson made one free throw with 28.2 seconds left to give Indiana a 66-63 lead. After a missed 3-pointer from Florida Gulf Coast by Chase Johnston, Johnson returned to the line and made a pair to make it 68-63 Hoosiers.

Outstanding performers

Ware recorded a double-double in his debut for IU, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals in 36 minutes. Trey Galloway finished with 16 points, Malik Reno added 15 points, and Xavier Johnson added 14 points in 34 minutes. The defense and the spark Cupps provided down the stretch changed the game for the Hoosiers.

Statistics that stand out

Despite being outscored by 27 points from beyond the three-point line, Indiana dominated points in the paint (30-18) and also outscored Florida Gulf Coast by 17 points from the free throw line.