DES MOINES, Iowa -- In his 135th start, IU’s all-time assist leader recorded his first career double-double.
Yogi Ferrell has come close many times, finishing a handful of games with double-digit points but only nine assists.
But in IU’s 99-74 win against Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, the senior guard got that final assist.
“I finally got that double-double,” Ferrell said. “There’s been a bunch of times I’ve got nine assists. To get that 10th and my first one is just a result of my team and I like sharing the rock with them.”
This came in a game Ferrell had his lower lip busted open after taking what he called a head butt from a Chattanooga player that went uncalled. It was also a game where the Hoosiers were somewhat hit in the mouth themselves to start the game.
IU began the game with two early turnovers and found themselves behind. One of the turnovers came after Ferrell found himself midair and trying to throw a no-look pass over his head and behind him.
Freshman center Thomas Bryant picked up his second foul three minutes into the game. But after a steal and layup from junior forward Troy Williams gave the Hoosiers an 8-7 lead, they never trailed again.
“We started off pretty slow and our defensive coverages were pretty poor,” Ferrell said. “Throughout the game we were making different changes to our defense and I thought we did a great job adapting to those changes.”
Once the defense changed, junior forward Collin Hartman said, so did the rest of the game. IU was able to get out in transition, where it's most dangerous.
The offense flows better, Hartman said. The Hoosiers can score quicker and attack a defense still trying to get its bearings straight.
“The spots where we had the best offense was when we played our best defense,” Hartman said. “We were getting out in transition when we get stops or turnovers and when we get out running we’re hard to guard.”
There were also moments IU was given a fast break because of how much Chattanooga pressures on defense. When the Mocs extended their defense to cover the length of the court, the Hoosiers found areas to exploit.
What followed were a string of open 3-pointers, dunks and layups.
In a way, the game changed when IU brought in players off the bench. Sophomore guard Robert Johnson and freshman forward OG Anunoby both upped IU’s defensive intensity and forced turnovers and stops.
But it all came back to Ferrell. After allowing the Mocs to scratch their way back into the game before halftime, Ferrell made sure he knew his team needed continue to improve.
Before the Hoosiers took the court to start the second half, Ferrell organized a players huddle in front of IU’s bench. What followed was a half where the Hoosiers outscored the Mocs by 16 points.
“We have to be a 40-minute team and I can’t go out and have the turnovers I had in that game,” Ferrell said. “I have to be a set up point guard, a scoring point guard and the main thing is I just have to lead these guys.”
