indiana Hoosiers Stage Remarkable Comeback Victory Over Mega Superbet 71-69 in Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico – In a stunning display of resilience, the Indiana Hoosiers overcame a 23-point first-half deficit to defeat Mega superbet 71-69 Saturday night at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. The victory marks the first for new head coach Mike Woodson‘s squad on their preseason exhibition trip, showcasing a dramatic shift in momentum after a challenging first half.
The Hoosiers trailed 44-21 at halftime, struggling to contain Mega Superbet’s offensive attack. However, Indiana emerged from the break with renewed energy and a revised strategy on both ends of the court. Thay proceeded to outscore their opponents 58-23 in the second half, ultimately completing the comeback with a 72-27 scoring run across both halves following the initial deficit.
This game offered a crucial early look at the Hoosiers’ revamped roster and coaching system under DeVries. Indiana is utilizing this trip to Puerto Rico to foster team chemistry and evaluate player performance ahead of the regular season. The exhibition games provide valuable opportunities to refine strategies and build cohesion amongst the new additions to the team.
Key to the turnaround was a meaningful defensive adjustment. Players like Tayton Conerway, Reed Bailey, and Tucker DeVries demonstrated increased intensity and hustle, disrupting Mega Superbet’s offence with ball pressure, fast hands, and relentless pursuit of loose balls.
“I thought at halftime they really adjusted to some of the things that they were doing to us defensively and were able to take it and change the mindset of how we wanted to attack them,” devries commented. “And then defensively, I thought they did a good job, too, of being more disciplined in what we were doing on that end of the floor. And we were encouraging them to get stops, you know.”
Offensively, Indiana found its rhythm with a balanced attack. Lamar Wilkerson led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. He was one of five Hoosiers to score in double figures, highlighting the team’s potential for diverse scoring options.
Wilkerson emphasized the importance of increased physicality. “We just played with more physicality.At first they were punking us,be more physical,getting the extra plays we needed.Allowing them to get offensive rebounds and stuff like that,” Wilkerson said.”Once we started turning that away and getting out in transition and started to run, that’s where the tables turned.”
Indiana will face Mega Superbet again on Monday morning in their final game of the Puerto Rico exhibition trip. DeVries views this rematch as another prospect to assess his team’s progress and solidify their identity.
“As a new team with a bunch of new guys on it, you have to learn how to win together and overcome some adversity at times,” DeVries stated. “This was a great opportunity for us to do that. I think when you’ve got a group of guys and we’re, you know, way early in the preseason with things, but for them to pull together in an adverse situation like this, I don’t know how they’re going to respond, you know, and this was our first opportunity to see. And I like the way they pulled together.”