Monday, January 09, 2012

Jordan Hulls and Matt Roth Lead Hoosiers to 88-82 Win Over Penn State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 8, 2012

A few days ago, it was duly noted here how Indiana's Cody Zeller and Christian Watford were dominant inside players. On Sunday, the Hoosiers went out and proved that they had dead-eye shooters on the outside as well.

In their 88-82 struggle over Penn State, Jordan Hulls and Matt Roth popped for a combined 50 points, missing just three shots from the field as the 12-ranked Hoosiers improved to 15-1 and are certain to move up in the rankings when the new poll is released Monday.

Hulls, a junior guard, led all scorers with 28 points, going 7-for-9 from 3-point range and the same from the free throw line. The only two shots he took from inside the arc were misses, but his teammates were more impressed with his career high scoring effort.

Roth, a 6'3" senior guard, missed just once, going 5-for-6 from 3-point range and made all seven of his free throws for 22 points. The duo was a combined 12-for-15 from beyond the arc, accounting for 36 points on 12 of the Hoosiers' 16 3-point makes. Zeller and Watford each scored 10.

The win snapped Indiana's 16-game Big Ten road losing streak that dated back to late January, 2010. They've come a long way since then and have raised eyebrows around the country after going 12-20 last season.

NOTABLE: It isn't often that a player - none less a senior - sets career highs in two categories, but that's exactly what Yale's Greg Mangano did in the Bulldogs' 101-86 victory over St. Joseph's of Long Island. Mangano scored 35 points, making 14 of 26 shots, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers. He also hauled down 22 rebounds as the 6'10" Yalite dominated the boards. Mangano is averaging a double-double this season, with 19.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Yale is 10-4 and opens Ivy League play on January 14 against Brown University.

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