Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Indiana Hoosiers Match Player Stats On Nov 09, 2021

Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds for his 23rd career double-double as Indiana survived a late scare to beat Eastern Michigan 68-62 on Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers (1-0) led by as many as 20 points in the second half in Mike Woodson's coaching debut. Eastern Michigan guard Noah Farrakhan cut that lead to 64-62 on a 3-pointer with 25.6 seconds remaining. But Indiana was able to close the game out with a Xavier Johnson layup and a pair of free throws from Jackson-Davis.

Johnson, a transfer from Pittsburgh, added 14 points and three assists in his Indiana debut.

Farrakhan led Eastern Michigan with 18 points, nearly leading the Eagles all the way back. He cut Indiana's lead to 58-53 on a 3-pointer with 3:57 left then pulled the Eagles within 59-58 on a runner with 2:47 remaining.

Bryce McBride added 12 points for Eastern Michigan in Stan Heath's coaching debut.

Indiana endured familiar shooting problems, going just 41.7 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from 3-point range (4-24) and 60 percent (12-20) from the foul line.

Indiana shot 43.8 percent from the field to build a 36-19 halftime. The Hoosiers held Eastern Michigan without a point for the first 7:21 of the game, jumping to an early 10-0 lead.

But Eastern Michigan responded with a 10-2 run, cutting Indiana's lead to 12-10 on a 3-pointer from Colin Golson Jr.

Indiana answered with a 9-0 run, going back up 21-10 with a Phinisee 3-pointer. The Hoosiers maintained their defensive intensity for the remainder of the half through some offensive droughts. Indiana held Eastern Michigan to just 22.6 percent from the field, forcing eight turnovers and blocking four shots.

Indiana closed the half with a 4-0 run, with a Miller Kopp three-point play with 1.8 seconds left in the half giving Indiana a 36-19 lead.

It was the first game in front of full capacity at 17,200-seat Assembly Hall since March 7, 2020 against Wisconsin. Indiana played home games last year at a capacity capped at 1,000 due to Big Ten-wide COVID-19 protocols.

--Field Level Media