Indiana men’s basketball overcame a slow start to extend its winning streak to five games, taking an 82-69 victory over USC (9-6, 1-3 Big Ten) on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) benefited from a balanced scoring effort, as four starters reached double figures. Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while senior forward Luke Goode added 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting from distance.
Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice notched 19 points, while fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway tallied 11 points. Indiana shot 43.9% from the floor and outrebounded USC 40-33. The Hoosiers have won three straight conference games, two of which have come by double figures.
USC led for over 15 minutes in the first half, with its advantage reaching 10 points midway through the opening frame. Indiana followed with an 18-6 run and took its first lead with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first half.
The Hoosiers and Trojans entered the break tied at 38. Indiana shot only 42% from the field compared to USC’s 47%, but the Hoosiers were 8 of 10 at the foul stripe when USC went just 4-for-8 shooting.
Indiana carried its momentum into the second half. Capped by an and-one 3-pointer from Goode, the Hoosiers grew their lead to 65-52 with less than eight minutes to play. USC, however, didn’t go down quietly.
The Trojans fought back, trimming their deficit to 7 points with just under three minutes to play, but Indiana hit timely shots and made free throws to join Michigan as the only teams with four Big Ten wins.
The Hoosiers return to action at 8 p.m. Saturday against Iowa (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
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.
