Injuries Lead to Opportunities in Indiana's 96-72 Blowout Win Over Elon

Without leading scorers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson, Indiana coach Mike Woodson experimented with new rotations in a 96-72 win over Elon. Freshman CJ Gunn and sophomore Logan Duncomb finished with career highs in points, and Race Thompson led the way with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Jack Ankony | Dec 20, 2022

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp lined up a 3-pointer with the first-half clock winding down, but it caromed off the front rim and then the backboard.

Fortunately for Indiana, freshman CJ Gunn darted toward the basket with highlight-reel intentions. Skying in the air, Gunn caught the ball with one hand and slammed it home. The Indiana bench exploded after a missed heave from Elon at the buzzer, and Tamar Bates chest bumped Gunn in congratulations. Even Xavier Johnson, who was out with a foot injury, hopped around on one leg in excitement.

The put-back dunk put an exclamation point on a 20-4 Indiana run to end the first half. This run – with contributions up and down the roster – gave Indiana a comfortable cushion heading into halftime despite leading by three points with 6:55 left in the first half. The Hoosiers were on cruise control in the final 20 minutes of a 96-72 win over Elon.

"I want to get in the game," Gunn said. "So when I get the opportunity I'm going to play the best ball I can."

What an end to the first half for @IndianaMBB ‼️ pic.twitter.com/W3OHA6kFay
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) December 21, 2022

Gunn, a freshman guard from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Ind., finished with a career-high 11 points along with three rebounds, three assists, two steals and zero turnovers.

"[Gunn] was solid tonight," Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "I think moving forward, CJ and Gallo and Tamar Bates, Anthony [Leal] when he gets in there, we've got to do a better job on the ball and guarding the ball. We had quite a few fouls called tonight in guarding the ball in a one-on-one position."

Gunn's performance was a representation of Indiana's collective effort of making the most of newfound opportunities. Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson was wearing a walking and riding a scooter after suffering a foot injury on Saturday at Kansas. Jackson-Davis was held out due to precautionary reasons, and Indiana coach Mike Woodson did not specify Jackson-Davis' injury. Jordan Geronimo missed Tuesday's game with a dislocated finger, and Woodson said he does not know when any of these players will return to action.

With Indiana's two leading scorers plus Geronimo out, Trey Galloway started alongside Jalen Hood-Schifino in the backcourt, and freshman Malik Reneau got the start down low next to Race Thompson.

Elon elected to play one-on-one defense against Thompson for most of the night, and the sixth-year senior burnt the Phoenix for 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting with 11 rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore center Logan Duncomb also took advantage of increased minutes, scoring a career-high 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting with five rebounds. Woodson said Duncomb is not in great shape due to an illness he's battled this season, but he thought he played well tonight.

"Logan has had his ups and downs, but I thought he responded," Woodson said. "Logan seemed like every time I throw him in there, he does something positive. But you can't play him in long stretches."

Indiana freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino was second among Hoosiers with 17 points, and he did a bit of everything, dishing out seven assists with two rebounds and two steals. Five turnovers put a damper on an otherwise strong performance from Hood-Schifino, who will take on a larger role with Johnson out. Hood-Schifino is Indiana's only healthy true point guard, but Woodson said he will still be careful with Hood-Schifino's minutes because he's recovering from a back injury, too.

"I've got to really watch that closely and monitor him as we continue this journey," Woodson said. "But the guys like Gallo and Scoop [Tamar Bates] and CJ and Anthony, guys that have to handle the ball for us, they've got to be more strong with it and be able to make basketball plays to help us."

Indiana starting small forward Miller Kopp was the fifth Hoosier to finish with double-digit points, thanks to a hot start. Kopp scored Indiana's first eight points of the game and finished with 13 points on 3-for-8 3-point shooting. Freshman forward Malik Reneau contributed nine points, and Bates and freshman Kaleb Banks added eight points each to round out Indiana's balanced win over Elon.

With this win, Indiana moves to 9-3 on the season and snaps a two-game losing streak against No. 5 Arizona and No. 4 Kansas. The Hoosiers host Kennesaw State on Friday at Assembly Hall before an extended break. Indiana resumes Big Ten play with a road trip to Iowa on Jan. 5

As Indiana deals with injuries, Woodson said he'll be looking for how hard guys are playing when evaluating different rotations and player development.

"That's a big part of it," Woodson said. "Some of our guys are not playing hard enough. That's my job to get them to play hard. Everything else will come in play and fall in place if they learn to just play hard. That's what you deal with when you have young players. They think they play hard, but there's always another level that they've got to reach."

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