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No. 13 Indiana rolls over SIU-Edwardsville 83-60

SIU Edwardsville v Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, IN - DECEMBER 02: Thomas Bryant #31 (left) and Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers defend Carlos Anderson #0 of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars at Assembly Hall on December 2, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Getty Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Indiana coach Tom Crean doesn’t have a timetable for OG Anunoby’s return from a sprained ankle.

For now, the 13th-ranked Hoosiers are going to have to step up and even overcompensate on some nights to make up for the absence of one of their biggest playmakers. On Friday night, it was Juwan Morgan who answered the call.

“Juwan rebounded for two tonight,” Crean said. “He came out and brought it. When you take OG (Anunoby) out of the lineup, you take so much athleticism, versatility, you take shooting, take the rebounding, the defense out. I thought our guys tried to do a really good job of making up for that. And Juwan did even more there.”

Morgan scored a career-high 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting and finished with 10 rebounds, De’Ron Davis scored 14 points and Indiana rolled to an 83-60 victory over SIU-Edwardsville.

The Hoosiers didn’t start the game firing on all cylinders. Indiana (6-1) didn’t make its first basket until 16:12 remaining in the first half, missing its first eight attempts. Trailing 4-0, the Hoosiers shook off the slow start when Zach McRoberts hit a 3-pointer from the corner that ignited Indiana. The Hoosiers would finish the final 15 minutes of the half outscoring SIU-Edwardsville 40-17.

Led by Morgan, the Hoosiers’ efforts on the glass eliminated opportunities for SIU-Edwardsville (4-4) to score second chance points. Indiana grabbed 30 defensive rebounds. Indiana’s 15 offensive rebounds led to the Hoosiers outscoring the Cougars 17-5 in second-chance points. But the Hoosiers’ second chance points opportunities were non-existent if Morgan was shooting the ball. The sophomore didn’t miss all night, making each of his eight shot attempts and the only 3-pointer he attempted.

“I feel like I’m scratching the surface,” Morgan said. “I think just mentally I’ve been thinking too much about shooting, things like that. My teammates look to give me the ball. And I look to have big games. But it was just a good night for us as a team.”

Indiana molded the rest of the basketball game around an aggressive rebounding effort, ball movement and its depth. The Hoosiers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 45-31. Indiana’s offense revolved around ball movement, as 15 of Indiana’s 28 field goals came by way of an assist with nine Hoosiers recording at least one assist.

And the Hoosiers bench outscored SIU-Edwardsville’s 34-12.

Burak Eslik finished with 18 points for SIU-Edwardsville. SIU-Edwardsville coach Jon Harris was familiar with Crean having played for and coached with Crean while he was at Marquette. Harris called Friday night’s loss, where the Hoosiers led by as many as 33 points, disappointing.

“There’s a reason why they are ranked No. 13 in America,” Harris said. "(Indiana is) a great team. I really think they’re a high level offensive team. We let them get going and that was the difference and the separation early (in the game).”

BIG PICTURE: Anunoby watched the Hoosiers’ victory from the bench, where he sat in a walking boot. He used crutches when he entered and exited the court from the locker room. He sprained his right ankle during the Hoosiers’ 76-67 win over No. 3 North Carolina on Wednesday. On Friday night, Crean told reporters he does not believe the ankle sprain is a long-term injury that could keep Anunoby out well into Indiana’s conference schedule, despite not having a definitive timetable on Anunoby’s return.

POLL IMPLICATIONS: After a thrilling victory over No. 3 North Carolina on Wednesday night, Indiana will have two weeks before it plays a ranked opponent, when Indiana takes on No. 18 Butler at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

UP NEXT:

SIU-Edwardsville hosts Stetson on Wednesday.

Indiana hosts Southeast Missouri State on Sunday.