After letting Bryant hang around for the game’s opening minutes where they even took a 15-14 lead, the IU men’s basketball team quickly snuffed any thoughts of an upset, defeating the Bulldogs 97-54 Friday night at Assembly Hall.
Before the game, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass addressed the crowd to announce that he and IU Coach Tom Crean had agreed on a contract extension that would keep Crean around until at least 2020.
The Hoosiers ended the half up 48-28 off a 34-13 run after the brief Bryant lead, and the Bulldogs never inched within 20 during the second half.
Six Hoosiers finished with double figures, led by sophomore center Cody Zeller who had 18 points along with 10 boards.
Senior forward Christian Watford set a career-high of 15 rebounds to go along with his 15 points for the Hoosiers. Watford’s previous career high in rebounds stood at 14.
Sophomore guard Remy Abell and freshman forward Jeremy Hollowell each contributed 12 points for IU, followed by freshman guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and junior forward Will Sheehey with 10.
Senior guard Jordan Hulls shot 60-percent from long range to lead the Hoosiers, going 3-5 from three for nine points.
--Nathan Brown
