The ball rolled from the front of the rim to the back before sliding through the bottom of the net. Indiana men’s basketball sixth-year center Oumar Ballo, a 53.3% free throw shooter entering Tuesday night’s game against Sam Houston State University, saw his second consecutive shot at the charity stripe fall through the net.
The Hoosiers’ lead grew to 31-12 with 6:28 remaining in the first half, their largest advantage of the game at the time. Ballo’s free throw marked the continuation of a 29-5 first-half run, one in which seemingly everything right — and ultimately helped lift Indiana (6-2) to a 97-71 victory over Sam Houston State (4-5) inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice scored 19 points, while senior forward Luke Goode added a career-high 18 points off the bench. Junior forward Malik Reneau and sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako also scored in double figures with 18 and 13 points apiece.
The Hoosiers shot 61.8% from the field and 46.7% from 3-point range. Goode went 5-for-7 shooting from distance.
Indiana scored its first basket eight seconds into the game, as fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway found Ballo underneath the basket for an open dunk. But the Hoosiers’ fast start quickly fainted, as they trailed 9-7 with 14 minutes remaining in the first half.
Suddenly, the game flipped. Indiana rode a 10-0 run over the following three minutes, surging to a 17-9 advantage.
Led by Goode’s 13-point explosion, the Hoosiers’ first-half lead grew as large 36-14. Sam Houston State trimmed its deficit to 38-25 with one minute remaining, but Indiana ended the half with a pair of layups to enter the locker room with a 42-25 edge.
The margin fluctuated between 9 and 16 points for much of the first 12 minutes of the second half before the Hoosiers connected on five consecutive field goals and five free throws to extend their lead to 83-58 with 5:40 left to play.
Indiana never let its foot off the gas, securing its second consecutive win and second-largest margin of victory this season.
The Hoosiers return to action at 7 p.m. Friday against Miami University inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
