BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Devonte Green started fast Thursday night.
After making his first four 3-pointers, Green’s teammates cranked up the pace, too. And it worked, for a change.
Green knocked down a season-high seven 3s, finished with 27 points and helped the Hoosiers break out of their offensive funk with an 89-77 victory over No. 21 Iowa.
“It’s just a good feeling,” said Green, who has come off the bench the last nine games. “When you see one and two and three and four go in, you’re like, ‘I’m going to shoot it. I’m going to shoot it till I miss it. And then I’m going to shoot it again.’ ”
He didn’t disappoint in a game the Hoosiers desperately needed to switch gears following four straight losses.
The timing was perfect, too. Green’s older brother, Danny, came to town to watch since his Los Angeles Lakers were off. Several of Green’s former college teammates — OG Anunoby, James Blackmon Jr. and Juwan Morgan — also were in the building.
And Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, put on a show.
The Hoosiers (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) made a season-high 11 3s — more than double their league-low average of 5.3 per game.
“When he hits one and two, you have to find a way to get him flares, just any of those ways,” Jackson-Davis said of Green. “You’ve just got to get him the ball because he’s hot. He can touch it. It can go in anytime he touches it.”
Green wasn’t the only one with a hot hand.
Luka Garza scored 38 points for Iowa, falling two short of matching the Assembly Hall single-game scoring record by an opponent. Joe Wieskamp added 16 for the Hawkeyes (17-8, 8-6), who have lost three of five following a five-game winning streak.
But Green started the decisive 12-0 first-half spurt by knocking down his third and fourth 3s before making free throws after drawing a foul on his next long-distance attempt. When the flurry ended, Indiana led 31-16 and Iowa spent the rest of the night futilely playing catch-up.
“He made seven,” coach Fran McCaffery said. “You can’t let a guy get seven but once you get him going, who knows?”
Aljami Durham’s 3 closed out the first half and gave the Hoosiers a 49-34 lead, and Indiana scored the first five points of the second half to take a 19-point lead.
Iowa didn’t get closer than 10 again.
