When Eastern Illinois’ Nakyel Shelton drilled a two-point jumper to open up the second half and extend the Panthers’ lead to three, the EIU bench leaped in celebration, while Indiana guard Myles Rice lifted his hands in shock and frustration.
Twenty seconds later, the Hoosiers drove down the court, and Rice banked in a jumper of his own, narrowing the Eastern Illinois lead back to one.
From that point on, Indiana went on a 56-12 run in the second half to secure a 90-55 win over EIU on Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall.
“I thought we were still home in bed sleeping. It was awful,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame regarding the first half. “I thought our defensive intensity was just lacking in the first half. We adjusted (in) the second half and guys came out and got after it. Couldn’t ask for a better second half.”
In the first half, EIU shot nearly 60% from the field, while shooting 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. With the Hoosiers also giving up eight turnovers in the first half alone, the minimal defensive execution is what led Indiana to its 37-36 deficit heading into the locker room at halftime.
Fast forward to the second half, Indiana held Eastern Illinois to 18 total points, with the Panthers shooting 5-for-30 from the field.
The Hoosiers had most definitely been hit with a wake up call, to which they answered in dominating fashion.
“Nobody expected that team to come out and be up on us at halftime,” Indiana freshman Bryson Tucker said. “When we went back to the locker room, everybody was really locked in like, ‘this should never happen.’ Any team we play, you don’t want to go down at halftime, so we just came out with a whole different level of intensity and we really locked in it.”
Sloppy defense, poor ball handling, and turnovers were all visible issues that the Hoosiers were faced with in the first half, but one of the most glaring issues from Indiana in the first half was overall disconnection on the court. The Panthers had taken that to their advantage and added on six steals in the first half of play alone.
But it’s clear that when this team is faced with adversity, the Hoosiers’ connection is at its strongest.
“I mean, it’s a good thing when you can hold teams to 18 points in a half, that doesn’t happen very often in college basketball,” Woodson said. “Those guys in that locker room after our halftime talk, you know, they stepped it up and they made catches tough. They made it tough to swing the ball.”
On the other side of the ball, however, swinging the ball had been a positive for the Hoosiers. Finishing with 26 total assists, ‘buddy ball’ had been in full operation for Indiana on Sunday afternoon.
Now looking ahead, the journey may remain on Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall for the time being, but the road does not get any easier for Indiana as the South Carolina Gamecocks head to Bloomington to face the Hoosiers’ next Saturday.
But if there’s one thing that Indiana can focus on in the days ahead, it’s making sure that everybody is connected on both sides of the ball, for all 40 minutes of the game. Because if one thing is clear from the Hoosiers’ first two games this season, it’s that Indiana is at its best when everybody on the court is connected and plays together as a team.
