National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Indiana 97, Austin Peay 62
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 22, 2016
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Officials: # Chris Beaver, # Brandon Cruz, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance: 14688

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana arrived ready to shoot from long range in obliterating Austin Peay with 15 3-pointers in a 97-62 rout Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers (10-2) were well aware of the scouting report on the Governors (4-9), who allowed 18 3-pointers two days ago in a home loss to Lipscomb. The 15 3-pointers tied a season high set in an opening win over No. 3 Kansas in Hawaii.

Seventeen of Indiana's first 27 shot attempts were from beyond the arc, and the home team hit 10 of them. It's the fifth time this season the Hoosiers reached double digits in 3-pointers, and they did it in less than a half, mostly against a frazzled zone defense. Sophomore forward OG Anunoby sank the 10th with 2:19 remaining before intermission.

"We go inside and out, keep the floor spaced and just keep ball movement and reversing the ball, and it got easy for us," said Indiana junior guard James Blackmon Jr., whose game-high 24 points included four 3-pointers.

Indiana ended up 15 of 26 in 3-point shooting and shot 62.5 percent from the field. It's the first time since 1998 that the Hoosiers have shot 60 percent in back-to-back games.

"We shot the ball well obviously," Indiana coach Tom Crean said, "and I think it was just very indicative of how the ball was moving."

The hottest Hoosier early on was junior guard Robert Johnson, who made five of his career-high six 3-pointers in the opening half and finished with 20 points.

"They're all hard to guard," Austin Peay coach Dave Loos said. "I tell you, we didn't have a good matchup out there."

Crean expected the performance after seeing Johnson "knocking everything down" in a walk-through earlier in the day.

"I would have been shocked tonight if he didn't shoot well," Crean said.

Junior guard Josh Newkirk's career-high 11 assists were half the Hoosiers' total and combined with 11 points gave him his first double-double.

"I played with better pace," Newkirk said. "I was more in attack mode. When I saw the defense colliding, I just made the simple pass."

The Hoosiers recorded 50 assists in the past two wins.

"We're a lot better when he plays fast," Crean said of Newkirk.

The game's longest 3-pointer came at the end of the opening half as freshman guard Devonte Green let fly from just beyond half court and the two-handed heave banked through at the buzzer for a 48-31 Hoosiers lead.

"When they scored that shot," Loos said, "it kind of took the wind out of our sails."

Indiana was well on its way to a 26th consecutive home victory, the fifth-longest streak in program history and fourth-longest active streak in the country. The Hoosiers are 9-0 at home with a 30.8-point average margin of victory.

Austin Peay lost its seven straight.

The Ohio Valley Conference visitors proved they had some scoring punch with junior guard Josh Robinson finishing with 21 and senior forward John Murry 18. But the visitors ended up making 21 of 53 shots, 4 of 17 from 3-point range.

After staying within 10 points for much of the opening half, Austin Peay couldn't keep up as Indiana closed with a 10-2 run.

The second half became one cheer after another for a partisan cream-and-crimson crowd. Anunoby brought fans to their feet with a reverse dunk in transition.

"I love that team," Loos said of the Hoosiers. "They have great talent, they are well-coached, and they play well together. They had 22 assists tonight and we had four, which tells you that they played together, they moved the basketball, and they got it from side to side."

NOTES: Hoosiers sophomore F Juwan Morgan rolled his right ankle late in the first half and did not return. The reserve made all three of his shots for six points in eight minutes. ... Indiana topped the century mark in two previous meetings with Austin Peay, 102-76 last year and 107-61 in 1992, both in Bloomington. ... The Hoosiers lead Big Ten teams in scoring (88.1), scoring margin (plus-21.7), field goal percentage (51.0), 3-point field goal defense (27.3) and rebounding margin (15.0). The latter statistic is No. 1 in the nation. ... The Governors haven't defeated a Big Ten opponent since an 85-77 victory over Michigan State on Dec. 19, 1987. Austin Peay lost seven straight to Big Ten teams. ... Indiana hosts Nebraska on Wednesday in the Big Ten opener.
Top Game Performances
 
Austin Peay   Indiana
Josh Robinson 21 Scoring James Blackmon Jr 24
Assane Diop 1 Assists Josh Newkirk 11
Kenny Jones 7 Rebounds De'Ron Davis 7
Josh Robinson 9 Free Throws Made Thomas Bryant 3
Tre' Ivory 2 Steals Robert Johnson 2
Assane Diop 1 Blocks OG Anunoby 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Austin Peay 62 39.6 4-17 16-20 4 22 3 5 17
Indiana 97 62.5 15-26 12-16 22 35 2 7 16