BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Little Rock battled 11th-ranked Indiana for 31 minutes in Skjodt Assembly Hall, trailing by seven with nine minutes remaining. But the Hoosiers pulled away over the final nine minutes to hand the Trojans the 87-68 loss Wednesday night.
Little Rock finished with three players in double figures, led by 20 points from
D.J. Smith who tied for the game-high, hitting 5-of-13 from the floor, including 4-of-10 from three point range, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
Myron Gardner once again flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists, including 11 in the second half as he and Smith combined for 23 of Little Rock's 38 second half points.
DeAntoni Gordon reached double figures for the sixth-straight game, finishing with 11 points off 5-of-7 shooting.
Chris Walker added nine points off the bench for the Trojans with a career-high eight rebounds, as nine of the 10 Trojans that saw action scored.
For the game, Little Rock shot just 33.3%, including 28.0% from three point range (7-of-25). That was countered by Indiana's 57.6% from the floor, including 66.7% in the second half, as the Hoosiers dominated in the paint, outscoring Little Rock 52-22.
Little Rock was outrebounded 41-34, but held a 14-7 edge in offensive boards, and committed just 12 turnovers as opposed to 13 for the Hoosiers. But Indiana was key inside on the defensive end as well, blocking 11 Trojan shots to control the paint and propel the Hoosiers to the win.
After falling behind 6-0 early, Little Rock settled down off a long two from Gordon to start the scoring, using a 7-4 run to pull to within three at 10-7 behind an and-one from Palermo and another jumper from Gordon at the 15:15 mark.
Indiana extended its lead back to nine at 20-11 at the midway point of the first half, but an and-one from Gardner, followed by a transition three from Jefferson helped the Trojans pull to within five at 22-17 with 9:27 remaining in the first half.
The Hoosiers responded with an extended push, leading by as many as 15 at 37-22 with 5:17 remaining, but Little Rock answered with eight-straight, including back-to-back three pointers from Smith, getting to within seven at 37-30 with 1:57 remaining in the half. Indiana hit a jumper with 32 seconds remaining and Little Rock couldn't get a shot off to end the half, trailing 39-30 at halftime.
Little Rock shot 35.5% in the first half, including 4-of-13 from three point range (30.8%) and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, led by eight points each from Gordon and Smith. Indiana shot 51.4% from the floor as 34 of the Hoosiers' 39 points were in the paint, compared to just six for Little Rock.
The Trojans used that momentum early in the second half, sparked by seven quick points from Gardner as he and Little Rock battled back to within six at 46-40 and again at 48-42 off baskets from Gardner with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Indiana pushed the lead to 15 at 60-45 with 12:09 remaining, but Little Rock responded with a 12-4 run spanning nearly three minutes, narrowing the gap to seven at 64-57 behind a three from Smith and a put-back from Gordon with 9:04 left in regulation.
But Indiana showed why it is the 11th-ranked team in the country, outscoring Little Rock 23-11 over the final nine minutes to pull away for the victory. The Hoosiers shot 66.7% in the second half, compared to 33.3% for Little Rock, as Indiana knocked down 5-of-10 from beyond the arc to spark the closing run.
Little Rock's road trip continues on to Oxford, Ohio, facing Miami on Saturday, November 26. Opening tip against the Redhawks is set for 12 p.m. CT from Millett Hall.
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