Indiana Unleashes Second Half Fury To Demolish Southern California

Oumar Ballo scored a game-high 23 points Wednesday night as Indiana pulled away in the second half for an 82-69 Big Ten Conference win over visiting Southern California in Bloomington, Ind. Ballo was 9 of 11 from the field and made all five of his free-throw attempts to pace the Hoosiers, who trailed 42-40 at halftime but outscored the Trojans 42-27 in the second half. Indiana shot 58.5 percent from the field overall, including 61.5 percent in the second half, while holding the Trojans to 38.5 percent. The Hoosiers also owned the boards, outrebounding the Trojans 34-28.

Trey Galloway and Jalen Hood-Schifino each scored 13 points for Indiana, while Miller Kopp added 10. The Hoosiers received a lift from their bench, with 25 points coming from their reserves. For the Trojans, Tre White led the team with 15 points, and Joshua Morgan chipped in 13. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Trojans, while the Hoosiers have won four of their last five.

The first half was closely contested, with each team using runs to grab control. The Trojans moved out to an early seven-point lead before Indiana responded to tie the game. The Hoosiers eventually took a three-point lead before the Trojans reclaimed the advantage with a late burst to take a 42-40 lead into halftime. The second half was all Indiana, as the Hoosiers began to assert their dominance on both ends of the floor.

A dunk by Ballo and back-to-back 3-pointers by Hood-Schifino helped spark the Hoosiers to an early seven-point lead in the second half. They continued to build the advantage, eventually swelling it to as many as 14 points with 3:33 to play before settling for the 13-point win. The victory moved Indiana to 2-1 in the Big Ten and dropped the Trojans to 0-2 against conference foes. The Hoosiers are set to hit the road for their next game, while the Trojans will return home to continue their conference schedule.