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Gonzaga Basketball

Tough road for Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State head coach Andre Payne watches from the sideline while playing against Indiana in the first half of Sunday’s game in Bloomington, Ind. (AJ Mast / AP)
Associated Press
Mississippi Valley State head coach Andre Payne watches from the sideline while playing against Indiana in the first half of Sunday’s game in Bloomington, Ind. (AJ Mast / AP)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – At this point, the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils may have forgotten what their home arena looks like.

On Sunday night, the No. 3 Indians Hoosiers handed the Delta Devils (0-8) their eighth straight loss of the season, all on the road. Sophomore guard OG Anunoby scored a career-high 21 points and had eight rebounds, leading the Hoosiers to an 85-52 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

Mississippi Valley State continues their unusual odyssey at Gonzaga on Thursday. The Delta Devils first 14 games are on the road. Their first home game is Jan. 7, 2017.

“My guys continued to play hard. (Anunoby) did an outstanding job. I was shocked by how well he can shoot from the perimeter, and he has a strong game inside,” Mississippi Valley State coach Andre Payne said. “I know Indiana has a great program. So, when they stepped on the floor, they were going to bring their `A’ game because they were not going to let another upset happen.”

The Delta Devils were without their leading scorer, Marcus Romain.

nunoby scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half against the overmatched Delta Devils.

Robert Johnson added 14 points for Indiana, which was without Justin Blackmon Jr. because of a left knee injury.

Indiana’s largest lead of the basketball game was 35.

“The game doesn’t change really that much (with Blackmon Jr. out). Everybody knows their job out there on the court,” Johnson said. “It’s hard not to have James (Blackmon Jr.) out there, but we have key (players) that we go to. Everybody else just steps up.”

Twenty of Indiana’s baskets came by way of an assist. Josh Newkirk and Curtis Jones combined for 11 assists. The Hoosiers outscored the Delta Devils 34-20 in the paint, and 19-8 in second chance points. Mississippi Valley State shot 32 percent from the floor (21-65). Indiana took advantage of the Delta Devils’ misses, outrebounding Mississippi Valley State 48-26. Thomas Bryant led the Hoosiers with 11 rebounds.