3 things that stood out as Indiana basketball dominates Tennessee Tech

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball defeated Tennessee Tech 90-66 for its fourth win of the season Thursday night at the Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall.

Third-year center Samet Yigitoglu had 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Third-year forward Aiden Sherrell posted 11 points and went 6 for 6 from the free throw line. First-year forward Trevor Manhertz added 10 on 80% shooting, while star guards Markus Burton and Bryce Lindsay had 12 and 15, respectively.

Tennessee Tech center Caleb Sanders had 16 points before fouling out.

Here are three things that stood out.

Darian DeVries strikes gold with bigs

Indiana coach Darian DeVries DeVries said rebounding was Indiana’s “whole focus” this offseason. Indiana (4-0) ranked among the worst rebounding teams in the Big Ten last year. The Hoosiers added 7-footers in Sherrell and Yigitoglu and a 6-9 forward in Manhertz to address their issue. But Thursday proved they offer much more than rebounding to DeVries’ undefeated team.

Tennessee Tech took its first lead at 13-12 with 12 minutes left in the first half after an 8-2 run. Manhertz drove to the basket for a dunk with 11:06 left and was fouled on a made 3-point attempt on IU’s following offensive possession. The Golden Eagles stuck around, but Sherrell hit a pivotal 3 with 5:19 left in the first half to extend the Hoosier lead to 33-24. And of course, there was Yigitoglu.

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A bloody eye can’t stop Samet Yigitoglu

Yigitoglu went to the locker room less than three minutes into the game with an apparent eye injury. The Türkiye native got hit as he elevated for a shot and held his hands to his face for the next minute as play continued on the other end. When he stood up, a gush of blood was flowing near his right eye.

Yigitoglu returned with 7:14 left and quickly showed his vision with an assist to Lindsay with 6:29 remaining in the first half. Yigitoglu, who averaged 6.7 points entering Friday, finished with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting.

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Turnovers remain an issue for the Hoosiers

Tennessee Tech had five turnovers in the first six minutes. Indiana had one up to that point and led 10-7. Indiana’s defense stymied Tennessee Tech, who were 3 for 11 with 13:57 left in the first half. But the Golden Eagles capitalized on IU’s recklessness and missed shots, hitting nine of their next 21 shots. Indiana led 41-37 at halftime. It displayed resilience in the second frame, going on a 16-7 run in the first five minutes. It had nine turnovers during the second half, yet still managed to get the win.

Joshua Heron covers the Fever, college sports and enterprise stories for IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshEHeron. Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 things that stood out as Indiana basketball dominates Tennessee Tech