LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Darian DeVries' first game as Indiana's head coach didn't count in the record books but it left no doubt about the direction he wants to take the Hoosiers. Or the speed with which he hopes to get there.
In their first exhibition of a summer tour through Puerto Rico, the Hoosiers overwhelmed Universidad de Bayamon, 98–47, Wednesday night, showing off a fresh tempo, a deep rotation, and a willingness to pull the trigger from deep — early and often.
"I thought the biggest thing for us was we just made sure we did in the game — even though it's an exhibition game — what we've been talking about and what's important to us," DeVries said. "I thought we did a really good job sharing the ball and stuff. We didn't shoot it great tonight, but I thought our ball movement and unselfishness was really good."
Indiana led 26-15 after the first quarter and turned the second into a layup line, outscoring Bayamon 23-8 and putting the game out of reach. The Hoosiers finished with a 31-5 edge in fastbreak points, forced 18 turnovers, dominated the glass 60-34, and turned 18 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
No, it wasn't great competition. But stop for a minute, Indiana fans, and soak it in anyway.
Tucker DeVries — the coach's son and a transfer from West Virginia — and Sam Houston State transfer Lamar Wilkerson were aggressive early, helping Indiana race to an 18-11 start. But the bench stole the show. Freshman Trent Sisley led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and two assists in just 23 minutes.
"What you saw today has been kind of a product of all the work he's put in the summer," DeVries said. "Now — he set the bar pretty high. You know, expectations are getting set really up there. No, it was good. I mean, anytime you're a young player and you can have success early, it's always good for your confidence. … I think that's always a good thing."
The Hoosiers were 41-of-80 from the floor (51.2%) overall — and 32-47 (68.1%) inside the arc. While they hit just 6-21 from three in the first half, DeVries liked the pace and spacing regardless.
"I thought our transition game was pretty good," he said. "We missed some opportunities tonight that we'll take every night, and you're going to have that some nights in basketball. But … I thought we did a really good job of playing to that up-tempo, transition type of game."
Wilkerson struggled from deep, going just 3-13, but still contributed 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. And DeVries wasn't discouraged by the three-point struggles. Instead, he expressed the opposite.
"I kind of like the fact that he struggled shooting in an exhibition game, because he doesn't struggle very often," DeVries said. "He's one of those guys that I don't care if he goes … 2-20, because that means he's going to go 18-20 some night."
The stat sheet was full of contributors. Josh Harris posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Sam Alexis added another with 10 points and 12 rebounds — five offensive — plus a pair of emphatic dunks.
Reed Bailey, who started and played just 15 minutes, made the most of it: 10 points, eight boards, and three assists on 5-6 shooting. Tayton Conerway, a sixth-year senior, stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Even Aleksa Ristic, a freshman who joined IU just last month, ran the point capably in stretches and finished with six points, three rebounds and two assists.
"He's in a tough spot, but we thought it was really important to get him here … and to get him out on the game floor," DeVries said. "It's a way to speed up that process. And I thought he did a really nice job."
In all, 11 Hoosiers scored, five hit double figures, and no one played more than 23 minutes.
"It was a good first outing for us to get out (and) play together," DeVries said. "Ultimately, I love the fact that I've seen all the unselfishness in practice for these last eight weeks, and to have it show up in front of people — that's a big deal."
Indiana is back in action Saturday against Mega Superbet, a professional team from Serbia that should provide a much stiffer challenge. For now, the DeVries era is off to a smooth — and very fast — start.
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