Indiana basketball escapes shame & more takeaways vs. Kennesaw State

No. 18 Indiana basketball played host to Kennesaw State on Friday night, and escaped with a shameful, 69-55, win over the Owls, finishing off 2022 with a record of 10-3.

At halftime against Kennesaw State, the Hoosiers and Owls were tied at 27, with Kennesaw State knocking down 6-of-16 three-point attempts, but shooting just 32.3 percent from the field in that half.

Indiana basketball, on the other hand, was shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, only to turn around in the second half and shoot 56.5 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from deep, thanks to some rock-solid shooting performances by both Jalen Hood-Schifino and Tamar Bates.

Check out the highlights below:

Here are my six takeaways from the Hoosiers’ win against Kennesaw State on Friday:

Six takeaways from No. 18 Indiana basketball 69-55 win vs. Kennesaw St.:

#6. Indiana basketball escaped with a shameful win to end 2022, now heading into conference play

Tied at halftime and tied at 43 with just 10 minutes left in the game, Coach Woodson and Indiana basketball lucked out with a shameful 69-55 win over Kennesaw State, heading into the holiday break on a two-game winning streak and hoping for momentum heading into 2023.

Without Trayce Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson, many young players had to step up and show what they can do with some pressure, as both Jalen Hood-Schifino and Tamar Bates shined when the Hoosiers needed them to in the second half of Friday night’s game.

Indiana managed to outscore the Owls 42-28 in the second half, along with a 24-14 advantage in the paint and a 10-2 advantage on fast break points. Despite the back-and-forth affair that was definitely stressing Coach Woodson, the Hoosiers hold a 10-3 record before getting into the knit and grit of the Big Ten starting on January 5th against Iowa.