IU basketball completed non-conference play with an 81-60 win against Siena on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from the win against the Saints:
Lamar Wilkerson delivers again
Through thirteen games, Sam Houston transfer Lamar Wilkerson has been IU’s best – and most consistent – player.
Wilkerson recorded his fifth KenPom Game MVP of the season in Monday’s win against Siena, scoring a game-high 23 points on a 7-for-15 shooting performance from the field and a 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line.
The Ashdown, Arkansas native is now 45-for-105 on 3-pointers this season and shooting 52.1 percent on 2s.
Over Indiana’s last four games, Wilkerson went 20-for-39 from beyond the arc, good for 51.2 percent.
In addition to the scoring, Wilkerson added seven rebounds and four assists in IU’s final non-conference game.
Nick Dorn keeps pouring in 3s
Another game, another strong shooting display from junior wing Nick Dorn.
The 6-foot-4 transfer from Elon shot 3-for-6 from distance in Monday’s win and scored in double figures for the fifth time in six games.
Dorn is now hitting 21-for-47 from distance this season, good for 44.7 percent.
After offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot, Dorn got off to a slow start. He scored just 15 points in his first four games in an IU uniform, but he has emerged as one of the team’s most consistent scorers in recent weeks.
Dorn’s scoring average is up to 8.2 points in 15.8 minutes per game and he continues to make a strong case for more minutes when Big Ten play resumes in early January.
Tayton Conerway goes downhill in the second half
Indiana was outscored by five points in the second half, but great play from Tayton Conerway kept the lead never below 15 points.
Conerway scored 12 of his 16 points after halftime as Siena failed to keep him out of bounds.
“We saw there were a few people we could attack off the dribble,” Conerway said after the game. “The coach believed in me and thought I could get the first one, and I had some teammates who set some good screens and got me open, and it just happened to work out well.”
The Troy transfer was 6-for-9 on 2s in Monday’s win, bringing his totals from beyond the arc this season to 46-for-67 (68.7 percent).
Conerway also continues to rack up steals through the first 13 games. Last season’s Sun Belt Player of the Year had two steals in the win at Siena and has 23 through 13 games, averaging 1.8 per game.
Indiana turned Siena’s best player into a non-factor
It was a nightmare performance for Siena’s key player at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Monday.
Senior point guard Justice Shoats, one of three unanimous preseason All-MAAC selections, never saw action against the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers chased and frustrated Shoats, who remained scoreless for the first time since Nov. 26, 2024.
The 6-foot-1 guard shot 0-for-4 from the field, 0-for-3 from the free-throw line and finished with three turnovers. He had no assist after scoring 20 goals in Siena’s three games before Monday.
To its credit, Indiana has been able to chase down opposing point guards in several games this season. The Hoosiers also had success defending P.J. Haggerty in a win against Kansas State and limited Mikel Brown to nine points in a loss to Louisville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I think it starts with our ball strength,” Darian DeVries said after the game. “I think our perimeter guys are really good at making things hard and challenging for guys so they can’t just play freely. They’ve really believed in that and given us a lot of effort to do that.”
Hoosiers are struggling to defend Siena’s freshman post player
In a defensive performance in the post that doesn’t inspire confidence for what lies ahead in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers struggled to defend Siena’s Francis Folefac.
Folefac, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound freshman from Lanham, Maryland, had his way with Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey down low.
He scored a career-high 19 points and reached the free-throw line 11 times before fouling out in 33 minutes.
Folefac deserves credit for his stellar play in just his fourth collegiate start, but the Hoosiers will need to be much better defensively when playing low in the league.
See more: Five takeaways, Siena Saints
#lessons #basketballs #win #Siena