IU routs South Carolina State, 102-60

Behind closed doors, Matt Roth has been shooting lights out.

Now, everyone can see the deep shooting touch that made the junior guard an IU fan favorite is back.

Roth doubled his 3-pointer total in the IU men’s basketball team’s 102-60 victory against South Carolina State alone, knocking down 4-of-5 from deep on his way to a season-high 14 points Sunday in Assembly Hall.

“I’ve been doing that everyday, whether I’m working on my own or in practice,” Roth said of his sharp shooting. “So it’s nothing new to me. It was a great opportunity for us and a great opportunity for me to get lost in the game and make some shots for my team.”

It’s been a long time coming for Roth. After sitting out nearly all of last season with a foot injury, Roth’s junior campaign looked in jeopardy before it even started.

Roth hurt his knee in an exhibition victory against Ferris State but avoided a severe injury and returned after missing just four games. It wasn’t until Friday, though, that he played more than nine minutes and wasn’t until Sunday that he made more than one field goal.

His return to prominence on the IU box score delighted the more than 12,700 in attendance.

“Him making a 3 is as exciting as somebody catching an alley-oop dunk,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “People want to see that. We want to see it. It makes our team that much better.”

With the Hoosiers clinging to an eight-point lead at halftime, Roth had just three points to his credit. But IU began to cut to the basket with ease in the second half, hitting 67.7 percent of its shots. The Hoosiers also locked down defensively, bringing the Bulldogs’ shooting percentage down from 50 percent in the first half to 32 percent in the second.

“We got back our understanding during the game that defense is about awareness, it’s about being alert, it’s about covering for teammates, being active – all those things,” Crean said.

The slashing on offense and 18 created turnovers on defense opened room for Roth, who swished through three consecutive 3-pointers as the IU lead grew as large as 43 points.

Sophomore forward Derek Elston, who has his second-straight solid outing with 10 points and six rebounds, said it gets the whole team going when Roth fulfills his role as a deep threat.

“When Matt comes into the game everybody should know, and knows, that’s exactly what he’s going to do,” Elston said. “Tonight he lit it up, and it was a lot of fun … Matt might have been the main reason why it just broke open right there from halftime on.”

IU will now travel to Nevada for the IBN Las Vegas Classic, playing Northern Iowa at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and either New Mexico or Colorado on Thursday.

Sophomore forward Christian Watford, who led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, said capturing a championship is fresh on the team’s mind as it prepares for its last pair of games before Big Ten season.

“It would be a great step in bringing this program back to how it was, and that’s what we plan on doing,” he said.