‘We Beat Adversity’: Indiana Basketball Erases 23-Point Deficit to Win Exhibition By 22

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Lamar Wilkerson couldnt believe it, and he was the engine behind it.

When he was told postgame about Indiana basketballs 70-19 run, which propelled the Hoosiers from a 44-21 deficit to a 93-71 exhibition victory over Serbian professional team Mega Superbet on Saturday, his eyes widened.

His tone was curious.

His face grew pensive.

Wilkerson was stunned.

That , Wilkerson said, was the run? He shook his head.

Words couldnt do justice to the hour-and-a-half of fun and celebrations Wilkerson had with his teammates.

What did it look like, man? Wilkerson said.

Nah, Im just playing.

Honestly, I don't know.

I didn't think it was that bad.

But I don't know how to answer that one.

It felt good, though, for all of our pieces to fall together, all of us play together and then just make that run.

Indianas run came out of necessity.

The Hoosiers trailed 29-12 late in the first quarter and 31-15 at the end of the opening period.

The deficit reached 23 points midway through the second quarter.

The Hoosiers were out-toughed.

Wilkerson said Mega Superbet was punking Indiana and made extra plays the Hoosiers werent.

Yet there was no panic perhaps because Indiana coach Darian DeVries appreciated the opportunity at hand.

This is what we needed, Wilkerson said of DeVries message.

We had eight weeks of practice.

Were always playing each other.

Never faced adversity, for real.

So, he wanted to see how we were going to respond when we got down 20.

The climb wasnt always linear.

Senior forward Reed Bailey scored six consecutive points, trimming Indianas deficit to 44-27.

Mega Superbet responded with four straight to push its lead back to 48-27, but the Hoosiers shots started falling.

Senior forward Tucker DeVries and freshman forward Trent Sisley hit 3-pointers.

Senior guard Tayton Conerway added a reverse layup.The Hoosiers entered halftime trailing 48-35, well within striking distance.

At the break, DeVries talked about getting defensive stops.

Indiana listened, and within two-and-a-half minutes, the Hoosiers erased a 13-point deficit and tied the game.

Indiana took the lead just over six minutes into the third quarter on a put-back dunk from senior forward Sam Alexis, but the Hoosiers didnt separate themselves until the final 90 seconds of the third quarter.

Freshman guard Aleksa Ristic, a Serbian native, scored his first points of the game on a contested layup to even the score at 59.

The next possession, junior guard Jasai Miles notched an and-one layup, also his first bucket of the day.

A jump-hook from Alexis and 3-pointer from Ristic pushed Indianas lead to 67-59 at the end of the third quarter, and the score kept spiraling.

Led by transition offense, 3-point shooting and heightened defensive intensity, the Hoosiers opened the fourth quarter on a 24-4 run the final push in a 70-19 run that taught DeVries a valuable lesson about his first Hoosier squad.

I really liked the way the guys responded, DeVries said postgame.

They got punched in the mouth a little bit.

Down (23), there's a lot of different ways that game can go from that point.

I just like the way they kind of pulled together, dug in and fought harder and didn't try to do it on their own, collectively.

Indianas trip to Puerto Rico is centered around team bonding and building better chemistry between a team and coaching staff with no returners.

Saturday tested the Hoosiers togetherness, and they aced it in part because theyd already been through high water during the trip.

The Hoosiers went kayaking between their first and second games in Puerto Rico, and on their way back to shore, they paddled directly into the wind.

DeVries joked his team pulled from that experience when met with adversity Saturday.

Mega Superbet forced Indiana to change its mindset on both ends of the floor.

The Hoosiers were more disciplined defensively, and they started to attack the rim offensively.

All the while, they never wavered.

Instead, they embraced the rough seas.

"It says a lot, DeVries said.

When you've got a group of guys, and we're way early in the preseason with things, but for them to pull together in an adverse situation like this, I don't know how they're going to respond, and this was our first opportunity to see.

I like the way they pulled together.

DeVries has often emphasized the significance of culture within his program.

Building a roster with chemistry, camaraderie and commitment in the modern era of college athletics is a tall task, let alone doing so while filling out a coaching staff and moving to a new area.

He built a veteran-heavy roster each of Indianas five starters Saturday are seniors, and nine of Indianas 13 scholarship players are upperclassmen and reaped the reward of his groups maturity against Mega Superbet.

While only an exhibition, Indiana showed toughness and resolve Saturday.

Perhaps most importantly, the Hoosiers showed DeVries they want to win.

As a new team with a bunch of new guys on it, you have to learn how to win together and overcome some adversity at times, DeVries said.

And this was a great, great opportunity for us to do that.

Wilkerson, who led Indiana with 18 points, believes Saturdays victory can pay dividends down the stretch of Big Ten play and into the postseason.

It was hard, Wilkerson said, but the Hoosiers found enough strength in each other to persevere.

We'd rather get punched in the mouth right now than in March, Wilkerson said.

So, face it right now, and then face it with a chin up.

And then, just take the punches, roll with them.

Indianas stat sheet showed much the same as it did in the first exhibition game, a 98-47 victory over Universidad de Bayamon.

The Hoosiers won the rebounding battle, forced and scored off turnovers, didnt hesitate to launch 3-pointers and assisted on a majority of made shots.

But a box score cant show Wilkerson running to the row of Crimson sitting courtside, urging them to get excited after one of his four 3-pointers.

And it certainly cant grasp the magnitude of an entire team leaving its bench to join him.

The Hoosiers proverbial kayak faced stiff winds in the first half.

They decided they were getting back to shore no matter what.

And now, Indiana knows it can row through anything.

We stuck together, Wilkerson said.

We came back, and we beat adversity.

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