BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Freshman Max Mackinnon scored a game-high 19 points for the Elon University men's basketball team, but the Phoenix could not keep pace at No.18/21 Indiana as the Hoosiers earned a 96-72 victory on Tuesday night, Dec. 20, at Assembly Hall.
 
Mackinnon went 6-of-11 to lead three Elon (2-11) players in double figures. The Brisbane, Australia, native also led the maroon and gold with six rebounds. Sean Halloran had 15 points and six assists while Zac Ervin contributed with 12 points off the bench.
 
Indiana's Race Thompson led five players in double digits for the Hoosiers (9-3) with his 18 points while having a double-double with 11 rebounds. Overall, the Hoosiers shot 58 percent from the field in the game.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• The Phoenix jumped out early to a 4-0 lead after made baskets by Mackinnon and Sam Sherry, but the Hoosiers came back with a 10-2 run to take a 10-6 advantage into the first media timeout.
• The Hoosiers expanded their lead to seven, 13-6, after a three-pointer by Tamar Bates with 14:50 on the first half clock, but Halloran cut that disadvantage to four on a three-pointer of his own.
• Indiana took an eight-point lead, 17-9, with 13:12 left in the first period, but a 7-2 run by the Phoenix brought the maroon and gold within three after a triple by Sherry to make the score 19-16.
• Both teams traded baskets over the next three-plus minutes with the Phoenix going 3-of-3 from downtown. Elon made it a two-point game, 27-25, after Ervin's triple with 7:08 remaining in the first.
• An ensuing 10-2 run by the Hoosiers gave Indiana a 10-point lead, 37-27, after a dunk by Race Thompson with 3:58 left in the opening half. After a John Bowen III layup made it an eight-point game, 37-29, the Hoosiers scored 10 unanswered for the rest of the half to head into the break up 47-29.
• Elon scored the first points of the second half with field goals from Sherry and Halloran, but Thompson responded with six straight points to give Indiana a 20-point cushion, 53-33, with 17:30 left in the game.
• The closest the Phoenix got in the second half came at the 15-minute mark after a layup by LA Pratt made it a 15-point game, 55-40. A 10-0 run by the Hoosiers ballooned their lead to 25, 65-40, as Indiana never fell below a 22-point margin to advance to the 96-72 win.
 
NOTES
• Mackinnon's 19 points were the most for an Elon freshman against a ranked opponent since Hunter Woods had 18 at #5 North Carolina in 2019. It's also the second-highest point total that a freshman has scored against the Hoosiers this season. Kansas' Gradey Dick had 20 against Indiana on Dec. 17.
• Elon had its second-best shooting performance of the season against the Hoosiers, hitting 47.2 percent of its shots. The maroon and gold also shot well from three-point range, hitting 10-of-24 at 41.7 percent.
• Halloran added three steals to his stat line to increase his season total to 29. The Orlando, Fla., native has 10 steals in his past three games.
• Sophomore RJ Noord Jr. had three steals off the bench for a new career-high in that category.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix begins Colonial Athletic Association play with a visit to Drexel on Thursday, Dec. 29. That contest is set for a 4 p.m. tipoff.