Jackson-Davis, Indiana start fast, beat N. Kentucky 79-61

Dec 23, 2021, 10:28 am

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- — Trayce Jackson-Davis made his first three shots, scored 21 points with three dunks and zero turnovers as Indiana cruised to a 79-61 win over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday night.

Jackson-Davis, the top returning scorer in the Big Ten, was 9-of-11 shooting with six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Race Thompson scored 14 points, shooting 7 of 9, for Indiana (10-2), which is 9-0 at home.

Sophomore Anthony Leal scored two points with four rebounds and five assists in his first start for the Hoosiers. Eleven of 12 players scored as the bench chipped in 31 points. Leal was the first Bloomington native to start for Indiana since March 28, 2013.

Indiana opened an 8-2 lead in a little more than three minutes, and a 16-0 run over eight minutes shortly after had the Hoosiers solidly in control, 24-5. The Norse (4-7) scored 14 points in the first half, matching the fewest allowed by Indiana this season.

Worse, Northern Kentucky's second-best scorer, Trevon Faulkner headed to the bench with two fouls in the first 3:22. Faulkner caught fire in the second half going off for all of his 22 points with four 3-pointers.

Northern Kentucky, after shooting 16% in the first half, outscored Indiana 47-41 in the second, shooting 59%.

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