Hoosiers rout Chicago State, prepare for Big Ten opener

In its last contest before Big Ten Conference play, the IU men’s basketball team defeated Chicago State 97-59 Saturday night at Assembly Hall.\nThe No. 13 Hoosiers (11-1) used an 11-0 scoring run in the opening three minutes to build an insurmountable lead for the visiting Cougars.\nThe run began with a three-point play from senior forward D.J. White and was followed by consecutive three-pointers from freshman guard Eric Gordon and sophomore guard Armon Bassett, who returned to action after a three-game suspension for violating team rules.\n“I thought we were ready to play,” IU coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We had really good practices when we came back from break. We had a lot of bounce, a lot of energy.”\nThe Hoosiers used the momentum from the opening minutes to dominate the first half, taking a 48-19 lead into the locker room despite shooting just 35 percent from the field. Sampson characterized the half as the “hardest” his team had played all season.\n“We dominated every phase of the game,” Sampson said.\nHowever, one statistic stood out to the second-year coach: rebounding. IU out-rebounded the Cougars by 21 before halftime. For the game, the Hoosiers won the rebounding battle 56-26.\nIU continued its strong play in the second half with solid performances from D.J. White and Gordon.\nWhite recorded his 7th double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.\nGordon scored 22 points on just 3-12 shooting from the field. The freshman standout did shoot a perfect 14-14 from the free-throw line.\nSenior guard A.J. Ratliff missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle. Ratliff, who missed the previous 10 games before his injury due to poor grades, has yet to suit up for the Hoosiers this season. Sampson said he expected Ratliff to play Wednesday night against Iowa.\n“He could have played tonight,” Sampson said. “I think the main reason talking to (IU trainer) Tim Garl was cutting. He didn’t look good on it at the shoot around.”\nWith the win, the IU extended its home winning streak to 26 games. The streak is the fourth longest in the nation and the fourth longest in IU history. IU won 56 consecutive games at Assembly Hall from 1991 to 1995.\nSampson credited the fans for their support as 16,016 were in attendance.\n“These are the best fans I’ve ever seen,” Sampson said. “That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.”\nWith the pre-conference schedule complete, the team now shifts its focus on winning IU’s first Big Ten Championship.\n“It’s a tough physical league,” White said. “It’s about focus. It’s tough to win on the road, but if we want to win the conference this year we have to win on the road.”