Hoosiers Get 10th Win of Season with 79-61 Win Over Northern Kentucky

Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 21 points, and Race Thompson was exceptional once again on the offensive end as Indiana cruised to a 79-61 victory over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Tom Brew | Dec 23, 2021

Hoosiers Get 10th Win of Season with 79-61 Win Over Northern Kentucky /

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana suffocated Northern Kentucky with defense early and rolled to a 79-61 victory on Wednesday, earning its 10th win of the year. The Hoosiers didn't win their 10th game last year until Feb. 7.

Trayce Jackson-Davis led the way for the Hoosiers, scoring 21 points. Fellow forward Race Thompson added 14 more on 7-of-9 shooting and senior guard Rob Phinisee added 10 points, three rebounds and a steal off the bench.

Indiana is now 10-2 on the season, and a perfect 9-0 at home. This was a rout from the beginning, with the Hoosiers holding Northern Kentucky to just 14 points in the first half. They were up by 20 points late in the first half, and led 38-14 at the break. The lead got as large as 28 points at the midway point of the second half, but then Northern Kentucky — and especially top scorer Trevon Faulkner — started burying threes.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson put starters Jackson-Davis and Thompson back in the game, just to be safe, and the Hoosiers closed it out. "They were hitting shots. The second group had a little slippage there,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Coach Woodson doesn't take any chances, so he put us back in there.''

When the lead got down to 16 with 4:11 to go, there was a bit of concern. But Thompson hit a jumper, Jackson-Davis added two buckets and Phinisee hit a three-pointer that circled in to keep Northern Kentucky (4-7) at bay.

Phinisee had a great game off the bench for the Hoosiers. He hit his first three shots to give the Hoosiers a spark, and was a defensive pest throughout the game.

"Rob is a big piece to this puzzle, and I thought tonight was one of his best games of the season.'' Woodson said after the game. "He was solid, but I expect that from him because he's a senior.''

Phinisee missed three games early in the season with a calf injury, but he's been getting better and better each game since. He played 25 minutes in the win over Notre Dame on Saturday, and played 18 on Wednesday.

Thompson, a redshirt senior who's in his fifth season in Bloomington, had another solid offensive game. He came into the fray having made 10 straight shots, and he was 7-for-9 on Wednesday.

"Race, he's a senior and he's been around,'' Woodson said. "As you grow in college as a ballplayer, you expect the older guys to do things at a higher level. When I first took this job, I told him what I expected, and my expectations are high.

"He's come through. He's done a lot of wonderful things for this ballclub. He's gotten better because he's put in the work.''

Jackson-Davis and Thompson have been great together in the post. They've played together for three years now, and it shows. They are adapting well to Woodson's new offensive schemes.

"Race just does a little bit of everything, and me and him compliment each other very well,'' Jackson-Davis said. "We're both unselfish and we pass out of the post. It's tough to prepare for, because if they try to take something away, we have so many other pieces on our team.''

For the first time in 12 games, Indiana had a new starting lineup. Guard Parker Stewart was benched for disciplinary reasons, but Woodson refused to talk specifics about it afterward, calling it an in-house matter.

It allowed sophomore and Bloomington native Anthony Leal to get the start, his first as a Hoosier. He said Woodson told him on Monday that he would be starting.

"When he first told me, I was in shock,'' Leal said. "I just wanted to make the most of it and make sure we got off to a good start. It was a blessing, for sure.

"It was very special. I couldn't stop smiling. I didn't tell my parents, so they could be surprised.''

Leal played 22 minutes and had just two points, missing all three of his three-point attempts, but he was solid once against on the defensive end. He played well in 16 minutes on Saturday, too.

Stewart did play eight minutes in the second half, scoring three points.

Indiana has one last nonconference game before Big Ten play starts on Jan. 2 at Penn State. The Hoosiers will host UNC-Asheville next Wednesday at Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers continue to make progress as a team in Woodson's first year as a head coach. He said they're getting better, but there's still a lot to accomplish.

"As we go game by game, and practice by practice, there's always going to be a learning curve. It's a learning process for me too, in learning this unit,'' Woodson said. "They've done everything I've asked them to do. It's just part of what we do as coaches. I'm excited about where we are as a team, but we've got a long way to go.''

Thompson and Jackson-Davis are keeping his coach happy.

"In the post, they've been great. They know each other's movement inside,'' Woodson said. "I always talk about buddy-ball with the bigs, especially inside. But there's still so much more to give from an offensive standpoint. We're doing some good things, but it's a work in progress.

"Race, I think we're delivering the ball to him in the right places where he can be effective. He's been working on those shots, working on those little floaters. We work on it every day, working on getting the ball down low. He's doing a lot of good things.''

Related stories on Indiana basketball