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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball guard Lamar Wilkerson twice stepped up to the free-throw line at Assembly Hall with the game hanging in the balance.
Wilkerson delivered both times to help close out a 78-77 overtime win over Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 7.
"I don't really think he feels any pressure, to be honest, when he's shooting them," Hoosiers forward Sam Alexis said after the game.
More: Charge call drawn by Indiana basketball's Conor Enright criticized
Indiana guard Conor Enright echoed the comments after watching Wilkerson go 8 of 8 from the free-throw line against the Badgers. Wilkerson knocked down four straight attempts at the end of regulation to tie the game and hit a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds to go in overtime to erase a 77-76 deficit.
"If I had to pick a guy, I would put Lamar out there every single time to shoot every free throw in the game," he said.
Before Wilkerson's layup with 30 seconds left in overtime, Indiana went 10-plus minutes without a field goal. He was the Hoosiers' lone source of offense for much of that stretch and scored the team's final 10 points. He finished with a team-high 25 points on a day when he was only 1 of 8 from 3-point range.
The performance was just a week removed from him carrying IU across the finish line in a 98-97 double-overtime win over UCLA with 10 of his 24 points coming in extra time.
"Lamar, he's an elite player," IU coach Darian DeVries said. "I even think from like a pro standpoint, I think he's one of those guys that people aren't talking about enough because he's going to play in that league for a long, long time."
Wilkerson came into the game leading IU with 20.2 points per game — he ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring — and tied for 18th in the country with 3.4 made 3-pointers per game. He had a memorable performance against Penn State earlier this season that saw him break the program's single-game record for made 3-pointers (10).
It was one of three times this season he's topped 30 points.
"He has all the things you need, the intangibles, in addition to like he has that one skill that everybody wants, and he can throw them in there," DeVries said. "And he's a winner. I love everything about him, and he continues to showcase what makes him so special."
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball's Lamar Wilkerson thrives in pressure-filled moments
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Wilkerson delivered both times to help close out a 78-77 overtime win over Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 7.
"I don't really think he feels any pressure, to be honest, when he's shooting them," Hoosiers forward Sam Alexis said after the game.
More: Charge call drawn by Indiana basketball's Conor Enright criticized
Indiana guard Conor Enright echoed the comments after watching Wilkerson go 8 of 8 from the free-throw line against the Badgers. Wilkerson knocked down four straight attempts at the end of regulation to tie the game and hit a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds to go in overtime to erase a 77-76 deficit.
"If I had to pick a guy, I would put Lamar out there every single time to shoot every free throw in the game," he said.
Before Wilkerson's layup with 30 seconds left in overtime, Indiana went 10-plus minutes without a field goal. He was the Hoosiers' lone source of offense for much of that stretch and scored the team's final 10 points. He finished with a team-high 25 points on a day when he was only 1 of 8 from 3-point range.
The performance was just a week removed from him carrying IU across the finish line in a 98-97 double-overtime win over UCLA with 10 of his 24 points coming in extra time.
"Lamar, he's an elite player," IU coach Darian DeVries said. "I even think from like a pro standpoint, I think he's one of those guys that people aren't talking about enough because he's going to play in that league for a long, long time."
Wilkerson came into the game leading IU with 20.2 points per game — he ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring — and tied for 18th in the country with 3.4 made 3-pointers per game. He had a memorable performance against Penn State earlier this season that saw him break the program's single-game record for made 3-pointers (10).
It was one of three times this season he's topped 30 points.
"He has all the things you need, the intangibles, in addition to like he has that one skill that everybody wants, and he can throw them in there," DeVries said. "And he's a winner. I love everything about him, and he continues to showcase what makes him so special."
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball's Lamar Wilkerson thrives in pressure-filled moments
Continue reading...
