Indiana Prevails in 69-61 Win over Incarnate Word

Sunday, November 16

Bloomington, Ind.

5:30 PM

Indiana University

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Incarnate Word

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Indiana

Indiana Prevails in 69-61 Win over Incarnate Word

11/16/2025 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Survival arrived Sunday night at Simon Skjodt Assemby Hall. So did Indiana's 69-61 victory over Incarnate Word. That, said forward Tucker DeVries, was the big-picture key.

"They came in confident, played well and executed their game plan," DeVries said. "On our end, they took us out of rhythm shooting. At the end of the day, it's important to find ways to win when shots aren't falling. I know it didn't look pretty, but that's part of growing. There's a lot we can take away from this."

Growth was finalized by four free throws by guard Lamar Wilkerson and one by forward Sam Alexis in the closing seconds that clinched the win and boosted the Hoosiers' record to 4-0.

"That's the learning opportunity," coach Darian DeVries said. "It's a 40-minute game. That's something that we'll certainly take advantage of.

"I like learning after wins. That's much better, but there are a lot of positives. We'll take it for what it is and learn from it and move on."

Both teams couldn't miss down the stretch. Incarnate Word (2-2) made five straight shots to IU's 4-for-5. A double-digit Hoosier lead was cut to five.

"Credit to them," Tucker DeVries said. "They hit some tough shots."

Then IU forced an airball from the Cardinals' Davion Bailey. The clinching free throws followed.

"At the end of the day," Tucker DeVries said, "it's finding a way to win once you get into those situations. I thought it was good for us to still pull out in the right way."

That the Hoosiers did, Alexis said, reflected their experience.

"We are a whole bunch of seniors," he said, "so we just put our heads together and went out there and played hard the last five, four minutes."

Alexis was a catalyst. He came off the bench for 16 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.

"Without Sam, we don't win," Tucker DeVries said. "He was a beast down low. That's probably where it starts."

Added Darian DeVries: "Sam is playing great. He was one of the guys that really brought good energy, good physicality. There were about a handful of possessions in the second half where he switched on a guard and guarded about as well as anybody. He had a really good night."

Alexis credited his four dunks to teammates such as Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries hitting three-pointers to open up the paint.

"When you've got guys like Lamar and Tuck, other guys that can shoot it so well, it gives me opportunities to just slip and get easy wide-open dunks. I'm thankful for those guys who can make 3s."

Tucker DeVries had 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Freshman forward Trent Sisley had 10 points and eight rebounds.

The 3-point shot, a staple in the first three games, brought frustration Sunday night. The Hoosiers, who came in hitting at a 48-percent 3-point clip, were just 2-for-11 beyond the arc in the second half, and finished 5-for-24 for the game.

Problems surfaced in the first half as Incarnate Word went from a 1-3-1 zone to a 2-3 zone to man defense. IU shot 43 percent overall and 23 percent beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. That it still led 35-19 at halftime reflected stifling defense that held Incarnate World to 21 percent shooting and forced five turnovers.

"We have good shooters," Darian DeVries said. "We're built to make threes, so on a night where we don't shoot it well, you got find way a way to win. I'm glad we were able to do that.

"There is plenty to look at as to why it happened, but the reality is you're going to have off shooting nights. It's going to happen.

"That's where you've got to rely on your defense and rebounding and taking care of the ball. I thought the first half the reason our lead built up even though we weren't shooting it well was our defense was really good."

IU opened the scoring with a Reed Bailey dunk off a Tayton Conerway assist and scored five early points off two Incarnate Word turnovers, but still trailed 8-7 after five minutes.

Wilkerson's fast-break layup off a Tucker DeVries pass pushed the Hoosiers ahead 11-10. An Alexis rebound and dunk, and then another Alexis dunk off a Conerway assist, and then a Conerway basket off his own miss, gave IU a 17-12 lead.

A third Alexis dunk, a Tucker DeVries 3-pointer and a Sisley bank-it-in-from-the-corner 3-pointer highlighted a 20-2 run and a 31-14 score with five minutes left in the half.

IU ended the half ahead 35-19 and it would have been better if not for making just one of its last eight shots. Alexis led with 13 points. Conerway had five assists.

A couple of Bailey layups to start the second half was negated by some by the Cardinals, who cut the lead to 13 after five minutes.

A Sisley 3-pointer restored the 16-point separation. IU followed by forcing a shot-clock violation, then adding a pair of Conerway free throws, then two more by Tucker DeVries. The lead grew to 19, then shrunk to 12 with 8:35 left, then 11 with seven minutes remaining, then eight, then six.

A Conerway lob for an Alexis dunk gave IU a 57-48 lead. Conerway drove for a layup. Tucker DeVries hit a jumper in the paint, and then a 3-pointer to restore the double-digit lead.

The Cardinals cut it to five at 64-59. Wilkerson hit two free throws with 24.3 seconds left. Alexis added one with 13 seconds left. Wilkerson added two more to seal the victory.

"Energy is something we have to play with," Darian DeVries said. "We've got to be a very spirited, physical, tough-minded group for 40 minutes every night. That's how we're going to win."