BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – SIUE hung with the Hoosiers for much of the night before ultimately falling at No. 17 Indiana 80-61 Wednesday night.

The Cougars evened their record at 1-1. The game was the first regular season contest for the Hoosiers.

SIUE stayed within striking distance of Indiana through much of the first half. A Ray'Sean Taylor three from the left side capped a seven-point run to tie the game 27-27 with 4:48 to play in the half. Indiana called a timeout and then ran off a 15-3 run to end the half with a 42-30 lead.

An 8-2 SIUE run got the Cougars back within nine (47-38) with 14:18 left in the game before Indiana stretched its lead again. The Hoosiers got up by as many as 22 (74-52) before an SIUE 8-0 run made it 14-point game with 2:34 to play.

Ray'Sean Taylor paced the Cougars with 17 points. He added two assists and three steals. Myles Thompson scored 10, grabbed four rebounds and also added three assists. Darrion Baker scired nine points and added two assists.

Arnas Sakenis, making just his fourth career start, scored eight points, hauled in nine rebounds and finished with two blocked shots.

Overall, SIUE shot 35 percent (25-71) from the floor and connected on just five of 26 three-point attempts.

Indiana held a 43-34 rebounding edge, but SIUE collected 16 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points. The Cougars forced 16 Indiana turnovers while turning the ball over just 12 times themselves. SIUE scored 36 points in the paint and outscored Indiana 15-12 on fast-break points.

The Cougar bench outscored the Hoosiers' reserves 26-8.

Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako led all scorers with 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting. He added nine rebounds. Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo each scored 15.

Indiana shot 53 percent (30-57) overall and was 14-17 at the free throw line.

The Cougars continue their road trip with a Friday night contest at Illinois. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the State Farm Center.