Efficient offense lifts Indiana past Providence in Battle 4 Atlantis finale
NASSAU, Bahamas – Indiana entered Friday morning in dire need of a win to leave the Battle 4 Atlantis with at least something to show for it. An efficient and balanced scoring effort was enough to get the job done.
The Hoosiers were 1-point shy of their season-high in an 89-73 win over Providence. After insufficient perimeter play hindered IU in its first two games of the tournament, the Hoosiers found several ways to score to secure the victory.
“Everything is easier when you’re making shots,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “The ball moved. Our pick-and-roll play was pretty good, as well as our post-up play. It went hand-in-hand, when you’re making shots from the perimeter, it makes it a lot easier.”
Indiana had sluggish starts against Louisville and Gonzaga, but Friday, it had a leg-up on Providence, who played the nightcap Thursday. The Friars took the court just 13 hours after their 69-58 loss to Davidson ended, so Woodson and the Hoosiers emphasized pushing the pace and wearing Providence down.
Once again, Indiana had a clear size advantage against a four-guard lineup, and offensively, it capitalized early. Malik Reneau went to work with six points early, bruising his smaller defender around the rim.
Right from the tip, the Hoosiers’ improved effort to move the ball and create for others showed. After just 12 team assists against Louisville and 17 against Gonzaga, the Hoosiers had struggled to find offensive rhythms. Friday was the opposite.
Once the inside game got going, shots outside opened up and IU was finally able to connect after a rough shooting week. Early 3-pointers from Trey Galloway and Luke Goode helped the Hoosiers jump out to a double-digit lead.
A key stretch of the game started when Indiana’s (usual) all-bench lineup played its best minutes of the season. Offensively, the unit was able to keep up and generate offense, something it had struggled with. Defensively, it provided the best and most connected period of the week.
After gaining a 12-point lead with seven minutes left in the half, a dry spell finally hit and stalled the offense for three minutes and the lead was cut to five points. However, Indiana was able to stop the bleeding and respond – something it hadn’t done all week.
The Hoosiers did so by running in transition as the Friars were exhausted. Mgbako caught fire and poured it in from all three scoring areas on the run, closing out a half-high 13-point performance. Indiana led 44-34 at the break.
“That was a big emphasis coming into the game,” Woodson said of transition offense. “They didn’t leave the building until about 10:30-11 last night. We tried to capitalize on that in terms of pushing the pace.”
After utilizing the fast break in the first half, IU excelled early in the second half with inside-out play. Reneau – back after limited first-half minutes with foul trouble – once again scored easily inside. Afterward, the Hoosiers kicked it outside for back-to-back 3-pointers, stretching the lead to 19 points.
Providence tried to scrap back into the game, but Mgbako and Galloway’s offensive outbursts held it off. The duo combined to score 17 Indiana points consecutively midway through the half.
Galloway, in particular, offered an inspiring performance after a suboptimal start to the season. Sliding into the starting role for Kanaan Carlyle – who didn’t play with an undisclosed injury – Galloway clicked from the perimeter and consistently drove to the rim.
“This morning, he got up and said it’s probably the best he’s felt in a long time,” Woodson said. “He did a lot of good things to help us win.”
The Friars cut the Hoosier lead to 9 points with nine minutes remaining, but Indiana held steadfast and pulled away for the 89-73 victory.
Mgbako, Reneau and Galloway combined for 64 points on 28-for-35 (68.6 percent) shooting. Indiana was 53.3 percent from the floor as a team, including the same mark from deep on a season-high eight triples.
IU’s ball movement was far superior to its initial two contests in Atlantis. The Hoosiers finished with 20 assists to 10 turnovers. Although Myles Rice struggled to score again, he led the team with six dishes and he and Galloway controlled the game’s pace.
Ultimately, despite showing flaws, Indiana made the most of what it could on Friday. Although defensive awareness and communication were largely absent, the team still produced a double-digit win that lifted its KenPom rating up seven spots to No. 52.
Leaving Battle 4 Atlantis with a 1-2 record and plummeting in the metrics, the Hoosiers showed they aren’t ready to compete with high-level teams. Whether they can reach that ceiling will depend on how much growth the team can make.
“We’ve got to play harder, get better,” Woodson said. “I’ve got to keep pushing. Gonzaga, there’s a reason why they’re a good team… we’ve got to get our guys playing at that level. If we do, we can put ourselves in position to beat really good teams.”
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Providence Friars