STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It’s all about having confidence. Right now, Clifton Moore is building his own.

Moore walked out of the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night feeling encouraged by his seven-minute, first-half cameo in IU’s 64-62 win at Penn State. For good reason.

It was an uplifting performance, both for Moore and the Hoosiers. The IU sophomore forward provided some key production while helping Indiana overcome its early deficit, building belief in his own game all the while.

And for a player whose role has been slow to develop during his first year-plus with the Hoosiers, it appeared to be a long-awaited step in the right direction.

“It feels real good,” Moore said. “(I’m) just taking it day-by-day in practice, just waiting on my opportunity and I (was) just excited to get out there.”

Moore was especially impactful during his first minute-plus on the floor, posting three points and two rebounds, while getting credit for a steal during that span.

His points came on a conventional three-point play that saw Moore draw a foul on a tip in. On the ensuing possession, Moore unfurled his arms and deflected a pass to force a turnover. Later, in the moments before the under-4 media timeout, Moore again used his length to block a shot.

During Moore’s first 2:38 on the floor, IU outscored Penn State 11-4.

“He came in and got some big rebounds,” guard Romeo Langford said. “He had that tip in, and-1. Him coming off the bench, he was ready.”

In recent weeks, IU coach Archie Miller has mentioned that while he was comfortable with his frontcourt rotation of Juwan Morgan, De’Ron Davis and Evan Fitzner, Moore and fellow forward Jake Forrester were “chomping at the bit” to earn more playing time. Moore entered Tuesday’s game having logged merely 15 minutes across his first four appearances of the season.

Miller’s willingness to use Moore during the first half of IU’s first Big Ten road game signaled two things — that Miller was determined to steal some minutes while his frontcourt navigated early fouls, and that Moore has recently been doing enough in practice to earn the trust of Indiana’s coaching staff.

Miller has said repeatedly during his first year-plus on the job that he will only use the players that consistently perform during practice.

Tuesday’s playing time indicates that Moore is beginning to surface to his coach’s satisfaction.

“Clif deserved a trial,” Miller said. “Jake will probably get in here eventually, as well. Guys have to be able to make tough plays. When Clifton got in there, he gave us a spark. He offensive rebounded, he blocked some shots, he got some defensive rebounds. He contributed to a good portion of the first half when we needed him.”

According to Langford, Moore’s contributions didn’t surprise his IU teammates.

“None of us were shocked by it because we all work hard during practice, especially him,” Langford said. “When your name is called, be ready. He was ready. He helped us out big on the defensive end and on rebounds.”

Moore’s ability to build off Tuesday will be crucial. Although he was uneven at times, and got beat during a couple sequences on the defensive end, Moore seemed to move well and have a good idea of what was expected of him.

He also demonstrated that he has useful, natural length that could benefit Indiana once Big Ten play resumes next month. Moore is still raw in some areas, but his length has the potential to add a further dimension to Indiana’s rotation, even if it’s merely in situational minutes.

His ability to use it to his advantage in a Big Ten road game on Tuesday was the product of an uptick in confidence that has been building across recent months.

“His confidence has grown,” Langford said. “Also, his ability to be a big time shot blocker. It’s hard to get shots over him.”

Moore’s encouraging play Tuesday came in front of a pack of friends and family who made the three-hour drive from his hometown of Ambler, Pa. to State College.

“They were cheering my name out there,” Moore said.

That only seemed to fortify the confidence that Moore has recently developed, a necessary breakthrough for a player hungry to earn a bigger role.

“It’s growing even more,” Moore said of his self-belief. “(I’m) just proving that I can do it.”