Indiana Outlasts Syracuse 83-80 as Backcourt Production Powers Win

Indiana outlasted Syracuse 83-80 on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, securing a narrow victory in the first high-major matchup of the season for either program.

Playing in front of a crowd of 5,047, the Hoosiers relied heavily on their starting backcourt to fend off a persistent Orange squad after trailing by four points at halftime.

Darren Harris and Markus Burton led the charge for Indiana, scoring 20 points apiece. Harris opened the second half with a personal 8-0 run to wipe out the halftime deficit, while Burton added four assists and hit several key baskets down the stretch.

Jaeden Mustaf contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-for-8 on twos and making two of three attempts from beyond the arc. Mustaf also played a crucial role on the defensive end by limiting Syracuse guard Gavin Doty to five points.

Harris finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, marking the first time a Hoosier achieved that feat without a miss since Eric Gordon in 2007.

Syracuse leaned heavily on its reserves, holding a 40-11 edge in bench points. Ryan Moesch paced the Orange with 19 points off the bench, supported by Kiyan Anthony with 16 points and Sadiq White Jr. with 13.

The Orange shot 51 percent from the field overall and connected on 55.6 percent of their two-point attempts, marking the third straight opponent to shoot better than 55 percent inside the arc against Indiana this season.

“Defensively right now, we got to get better,” head coach Darian DeVries said.

Indiana maintained control of the glass, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and converting them into 12 second-chance points. The Hoosiers secured 40 percent of their missed shots while holding Syracuse to 23.3 percent on offensive boards.

Samet Yigitoglu anchored Indiana inside with 10 rebounds alongside three assists and a steal, helping offset a tough shooting night for the frontcourt.

After Syracuse claimed a 66-61 lead with under eight minutes remaining, Indiana responded with a decisive closing stretch. With the game tied at 74 in the final minute, Harris drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and buried all three free throws to put the Hoosiers ahead for good.

“We really felt like just our overall physicality needed another step up, another notch,” head coach Darian DeVries said.

Offensively, especially late game execution coming down the stretch last four minutes, I thought the guys did a really good job of executing some things that in a high pressure moments that they did a really good job of sharing the ball, they moved the ball, hit some big shots.

Darian DeVries, Indiana head coach

Mustaf sealed the outcome with a dunk in the final seconds, and Indiana finished 22-for-26 from the free-throw line to improve to 3-0.

The Hoosiers return to Bloomington to host Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening.

Earlier coverage: Indiana-Syracuse Basketball Draws Sparse Crowd of 5,047

More on this story: Wisconsin Badgers Defeat Delaware 73-64 as Greg Gard Evaluates Win

More on Indiana: Indiana Defeats Minnesota 23-16 in Overtime · Instant Recap: Indiana 23, Minnesota 16 – Inside the Hall · Curt Cignetti Calls Indiana Schedule Taxing After Win