What Jackson-Davis, Thompson Said After Indiana's 64-62 Loss at Northwestern

Indiana veteran forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson spoke with the media after a 64-62 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday. Here's what they said.

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EVANSTON, Ill. – Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson played a key role in Indiana's comeback effort on Wednesday night against Northwestern. Jackson-Davis scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Thompson added 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting. 

But in the end, Boo Buie's game-winning floater sealed a 64-62 Northwestern victory. 

Here's what Jackson-Davis and Thompson said after the game. 

QUESTION: Trayce, first of all, offensively in that first half, 20 points. What happened?

Jackson-Davis: Honestly, it's my fault. I wasn't ready to play in the first half, and I didn't get my teammates ready. Being a leader on this team, I've got to be up, I've got to be ready to go and I wasn't. So that first half's on me. I loved the way that our guys fought and tried to get back into the game. Obviously, getting down 19 doesn't help in the first half, but I'm proud of our fight. But that falls on me because I've got to be ready to go from the get-go. I can't start off the game with two turnovers because that gets the other team going and makes them have a chance basically.

Q: What got you unlocked in the second half, do you think?

Jackson-Davis: I just think that I slowed down. Kind of just the game plan coach Woodson kind of threw different looks, kind of looked at Race a lot more, posting the guy further in and throwing it up to him, and that kind of spread them out a little bit. Then posting on the other side, I was on the left block to start and I posted from the right side throwing with my left hand, my strong side, I could get the ball across the floor. 

Q: What were they doing to force so many turnovers from you guys in the first half?

Jackson-Davis: I just think that they came with the trap fast and we were panicking a little bit. We were out of sorts a little bit to start the game, and after we got composed I think we handled it pretty well. We've been dealing with traps all year, so it wasn't anything new. We've just got to come out and we've got to start the game strong.

Q: You were getting a lot of points off the weak-side low block. It looked like you were going baseline and passing it to the other side. Is that something you guys saw at half time and made an adjustment?

Thompson: Yeah, definitely it was something we saw at halftime. We watched the film at halftime. I thought I was open a little bit in the first half when I was doing that, and I told Trayce and he ended up seeing me a couple times and it worked out for us and got us back in the game. 

Q: Race, how do you feel? You looked good. How do you feel?

Thompson: I feel good right now. I think that I'll just keep getting healthier and healthier, keep getting treatment. Yeah, but I feel good.

Q: As veteran teammates, what do you guys tell Miller in an environment like this throughout the game?

Jackson-Davis: Basically gotta keep our heads up. I remember [Jalen Hood-Schifino] against Maryland he had a bad game, and I told him we're going to need a big next game for Purdue and he showed up. Just got to clear it out and move to the next one. We've got Illinois on Saturday, and that's what we've got to get ready for.

Q: Why do you feel like there was such a big difference in intensity between the first half and the second half?

Thompson: I think Trayce said it a little bit, I think we just slowed down a little bit. Kind of saw it on the film, took our time a bit more and seeing where the trap was coming from and what was open out of the trap, and I think that was what got us to slow down a little bit and get us back in the game.

Q: Was anything different about the trap? It felt like maybe they were at least forcing Trayce baseline a more, rather than letting him turn to the middle of the floor. 

Thompson: Yeah, I think they were trying to make him throw the ball with his right hand. I think they were trying to force him to his right hand, and it worked for them a couple times but when he gets back to his left hand he's tough to stop. So he was making plays for us and ended up getting us back in the game, but we couldn't finish. 

Q: Trayce said the offensive issues in the first half, he said, 'That's on me, that's my fault.' Is that a leader sort of being a leader, or how did you see it, the offensive issues?

Thompson: Yeah, that's definitely Trayce being a leader. I think it's on everybody. I think again, it just comes with us slowing down a bit, taking our time. I think, like he said, we panicked a little bit to start the gam. We had a couple turnovers and that's never a way you want to start the game. So I think that's really him being a leader, and I take responsibility as well.

Q: Coach Woodson told us he thought the team was over-hyped coming into the game, did you get any sense of that?

THOMPSON: I think yeah, we were juiced up a little bit, but like I said I think we were sped up at the beginning of the game and it took us a couple, almost the whole first half to figure them out.

Q: Race, you sitting out the last game, was that your knee that was bothering you or was it something else?

THOMPSON: Yeah, it was my knee that was bothering me, so just trying to get that back back healthy and feeling good. It felt good today, and it was my first game playing with no brace, so I felt good out there running around. 

Related stories on Indiana basketball:

• GAME STORY: Indiana made a valiant comeback in the second half of Wednesday's game against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but Boo Buie's game-winner sealed a 64-62 victory for the Wildcats. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Hear from Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson following the No. 14 Hoosiers' 64-62 road loss to Northwestern Wednesday night. Read his full transcript, or just watch the attached video. CLICK HERE
• 'WE'RE THE BEST BACKCOURT IN THE COUNTRY': Senior guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige led Northwestern to wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana this week, combining for 76 points across the two games. "I think we're the best backcourt in the country," Audige said after the Wildcats 64-62 win over Indiana. CLICK HERE
• COLLINS ON VULGAR CHANS AT KOPP: Following Northwestern's 64-62 win over Indiana, coach Chris Collins commented on the vulgar chants directed at Miller Kopp, who transferred from Northwestern to Indiana before the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Take a look at 20 photos from Indiana's 64-62 loss at Northwestern. Down by more than 20 points in the first half, the No. 14 Hoosiers barely fell short in a huge second half comeback. CLICK HERE
• WATCH TJD'S SLICK PASS TO THOMPSON Watch this highlight of Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis's pass to fellow forward Race Thompson, who puts it up for two in the Hoosiers' game versus Northwestern. CLICK HERE
• WATCH WOODSON AND HOOSIER BENCH GET TWO TECHNICALS Watch this replay of Indiana basketball's bench and head coach Mike Woodson receiving two technical fouls in the first half of the Hoosiers' matchup with Northwestern Wednesday night. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JORDAN GERONIMO'S DUNK ON WILDCATS Watch this replay of Hoosier forward Jordan Geronimo dunking on Northwestern for the lead Wednesday night. CLICK HERE