PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Indiana defeated Penn State at the Palestra on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 77-71.
The game was tied at 29 at halftime. The Hoosiers were led in the game by Oumar Ballo with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Mackenzie Mgbako added 20 points including four three-pointers.
The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats from the game are below.
See also: Woodson, Mgbako and Ballo postgame Q&A
Indiana (12-3, 3-1) will host USC on Wednesday.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. A fast second half start. Indiana came out of the halftime locker room blazing hot, and turned a 29-all tie into a 41-29 lead in less than three minutes. Mackenzie Mgbako scored the first eight points on the half including two threes. Myles Rice and Oumar Ballo also scored in the run. The margin gave IU breathing room and allowed them to hang on for a quality road win.
2. Oumar Ballo dominates. After missing a game and then being removed from the starting five in the next, Oumar Ballo was the difference at Penn State. He scored 25 points in 32 minutes and added 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks to dominate the paint. He got to free throw line and made 7-of-11 at the stripe.
3. Indiana guards the three-point line. IU was clearly intent on running Penn State off the three-point arc and forcing them to beat them from two. The Nittany Lions made just 3-of-21 from long range. The Hoosiers didn’t do a great job of cutting off driving lanes as PSU scored 52 in the paint on 61.9% shooting from two. But the lack of scoring versatility eventually caught up with the Nittany Lions.
HIGHLIGHTS
FINAL STATS
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