Halftime Score: Indiana, 36, Northwestern, 22
The game started with back-to-back triples from IU’s Robert Johnson and Vic Law, but Indiana stayed hot going 3-5 from distance as they jumped out to a 12-6 lead after seven minutes of play.
After a Lumpkin bucket at 18:40, NU had an almost 10-minute scoring drought that was finally broken by Nate Taphorn at the nine-minute mark. IU went on a 21-1 run during the cold spell. It didn’t get much better after that as NU finished 8-24 (28.6%) at the break.
Indiana shot 14-35 (33.3%) from the floor and 6-18 (33.3%) from 3pt range. James Blackmon Jr. and Yogi Ferrell scorched NU’s defense– the two combined for 23 of the team’s 36 total first-half points. The Hoosier’s biggest lead of the half was 18 points.
The standout statistic of the first half was rebounding: Indiana out rebounded Northwestern 25-14 and scored 11 second-chance points.
– Noah Fromson, NNN Sports