Jackson-Davis, Bates lead Indiana in Big Ten opener, 68-55

Dec 5, 2021, 06:24 am

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- — Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 14 points and Tamar Bates came off the bench to score a career-high 13, hitting a trio of 3-pointers as Indiana defeated Nebraska 68-55 to open the Big Ten season on Saturday.

Jackson-Davis scored 10 points in the second half when Indiana (7-1, 1-0) took control of the game, adding seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals. Race Thompson scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, his third double-double this season and second in a row.

The freshman Bates' three 3-pointers were also the most in his career, and his pull-up 3 on the fastbreak put the Hoosiers up 23-20, a lead they never surrendered.

Alonzo Verge, Jr. led Nebraska (5-4, 0-1) with 15 points, five rebounds and a season-low three assists. Bryce McGowens was held to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, the first time he hasn't reached double figures in five games.

Nebraska built an early 10-point lead as Indiana suffered seven turnovers while missing 12 of its first 15 shots, showcased by a stolen pass turning into a Huskers fastbreak with Verge skipping a bounce pass to McGowens for the finish.

Late in the first half, the Hoosiers tied at 20-20 on a Thompson dunk and took the lead on a Bates 3-pointer. Indiana cut its turnovers down from 11 in the first half to four in the second.

NOTABLE:

Both teams were coming off of narrow losses in multiple overtimes. The Huskers fell 104-100 in an epic, four-overtime game at N.C. State on Wednesday while Indiana lost 112-110 in double-overtime Tuesday at Syracuse.

Indiana's first-season coach Mike Woodson and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg are the first former NBA players and head coaches to face each other in a Big Ten game.

Nebraska next faces visiting No. 24 Michigan on Tuesday. Indiana travels to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

------