Hoosiers defeat Rutgers
By CALEB LYNN
ISL Contributor 
BLOOMINGTON — Despite a rough shooting night, the Hoosiers were able to defeat Rutgers on Sunday with a final score of 76-57 at Assembly Hall.
A strong performance on the defensive side of the ball propelled the Hoosiers to victory.
OG Anunoby showed why he is an elite defender by recording a career high seven steals. Anunoby’s performance was the most steals in a game by an IU player since 1999. Rutgers coach Steve Pikell talked about the impact he made: “OG is so creative and athletic,” Pikell said. “He poses many problems.”
Anunoby’s seven steals matched the rest of the team’s mark, giving the Hoosiers 14 steals for the game. “We all tried to jump the gaps and be aggressive with our hands,” Anunoby said.
The stats may not show it, but Devonte Green provided a big boost for IU with his hustle. His teammate Curtis Jones also provided some hustle and he dropped six points. Indiana coach Tom Crean talked about Green and Jones. “They are getting better. And they are improving. But they have a long way to go.”
Despite not hitting any 3-point shots, James Blackmon Jr provided 16 points with most of those points coming from drives to the rim. Blackmon Jr. talked about the win over Rutgers and how it could be a catalyst moving forward. “I feel like any game can do that,” Blackmon said. “Tonight’s win definitely can be that game to get us going.”
Robert Johnson continued his season’s consistent play against the Scarlet Knights. He had 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Juwan Morgan performed well with seven points and three rebounds against Rutgers but had to leave with an injury. “Juwan was having a tremendous game before he got hurt,” Coach Crean said. “I don’t have an update on that right now.”
Overall, this was a great team win for the un-ranked Hoosiers. They dished out 14 assists and created 21 turnovers which were two big keys in the win. Off the 21 turnovers, IU scored 33 points. Coach Crean was asked about if turnovers were a priority in today’s matchup. “We wanted to be active,” he said. “We wanted to set the tone with defense. And we thought that we did.”
The next game for IU is Wednesday night on the road against Penn State (11-7 overall and 3-2 in conference). “The next game is the next challenge,” said Crean. “And that happens to be on the road.”
