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The Indiana Hoosiers knew what they were getting when Oakland came to Assembly Hall on Tuesday night. They knew they were getting a 2-7 team with one lights-out offensive option capable of spearheading an upset. They also knew there was no way they were allowing that to happen.
Travis Bader was shadowed by one Hoosier or another for 40 minutes, leading to some bad shots and a stagnant Oakland offense. Bader still made some hay at the free throw line, going 7-for-7, but with his offensive output limited to just 11 points Indiana was able to exploit its advantage all over the floor for a 81-54 non-conference win.
Since neither of the two field goals Bader made were from three-point land, his streak of 62 consecutive games with a made three came to an end. For the season, Bader had attempted 158 shots through 10 games -- just one less than the second and third leading shooters on the team combined (Corey Petros 88, Kahlil Felder 71). On Tuesday, Bader's 15 shots equaled Petros and Felder's shot total, but it doesn't have the same impact when only two fall.
Leading the way for Indiana was Evan Gordon, who led a 10-0 run all by himself in the middle of the first half that saw an eight-point lead balloon to 18 before a Mitch Baenziger finally broke through with a three. Gordon scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the first half and led the Hoosiers to a 50-30 lead at the half, erasing any doubt of what the outcome of the game would be.
Baenziger and Petros did what they could to keep Oakland's offense moving, scoring 14 and 13 points in the loss. Oakland falls to 2-8 on the season and still have Michigan State to look forward to before diving into its Horizon League schedule in a few weeks.
