Indiana breaks through for first road win, beats Penn State 77-71 at the Palestra
There have been countless times in the last few seasons when Indiana has crumbled in pressure situations. Either unable to close out games or give a worthy punch to get back in the contest, road wins have been difficult to attain for the Hoosiers. A similar situation could have unfolded in the second half of Sunday’s game against Penn State. But it didn’t.
The Hoosiers fought to stay together, and instead of collapsing in The Palestra, Indiana got a key 77-71 road conference win against Penn State in front of 6,126 fans.
After IU built its largest lead of the game – 16 points with 10:20 remaining – Penn State clawed back and had possession with a chance to take the lead with 1:32 to play. This is the moment when it could’ve gone south for the Hoosiers.
Following a 10-second violation turnover by Myles Rice, Penn State’s Zach Hicks missed a 3-pointer with 1:11 left. The ball went out of bounds, giving possession to IU.
On the ensuing possession, Nittany Lions guard Nick Kern Jr. fouled Mackenzie Mgbako with two seconds left on the shot clock. Mgbako stepped to the line, made both free throws and pushed the IU lead to two possessions at 75-71.
Following another missed 3-pointer by Hicks inside 30 seconds left, Rice grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and made both free throws to put the game out of reach.
“When things got tight, they didn’t go the other way,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “We made our free throws. You know, I ran out of timeouts, so it was critical that we were able to get the ball in bounds, not get trapped, get the ball up the floor, and finish the game.”
Indiana’s win was guided by the little things it did right — like taking care of the ball and making free throws down the stretch, alongside great individual efforts in each half.
The Hoosiers were without their leading scorer, Malik Reneau after the junior forward injured his knee in the opening minutes of Thursday’s win against Rutgers. That left the team with one big man on the floor, Oumar Ballo, who took charge and lifted Indiana to a win on Thursday and again on Sunday.
Ballo’s effort and presence were felt throughout the game, as he finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds while being the offense’s focal point. The Mali native also played through foul trouble after he picked up his fourth foul with 7:25 to play.
“He was huge for us,” Mike Woodson said. “We featured him and he responded big time. He made some shots over the top of the big seven-footer that they had.”
Mgbako did the same for Indiana in the second half, as it was all ignited by a solo 8-0 run in the first 56 seconds. He continued to show off his knockdown shooting ability when Indiana needed it most. Mgbako scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half.
Indiana’s 3-point shooting, boosted by Mgbako, was effective for the second game in a row. There wasn’t much production from the outside in the first half, with just 2-11 shooting from deep, but in the second half, Indiana finished 7-for-12 with a handful of makes that swung the momentum in Indiana’s direction.
“I thought the start of the second half, it was all Mack who opened the door for us,” Woodson said. “We couldn’t make threes. We had good looks in the first half, but he started the run. (Luke) Goode made some, and Gallo made one, so I mean, it was fitting that we got back to making some threes because we needed that tonight.”
In addition to the individual efforts of Ballo and Mgbako, 3-point shooting, hustle on the offensive glass, continuous energy for most of the game and the steady play of Myles Rice at point guard all contributed to IU’s first road win of the season.
A season isn’t made in one game; plenty of basketball remains, but Indiana gained momentum from the Rutgers win and carried it into the win against Penn State.
“When you get a chance to win on the road in the Big Ten, that’s big time because it’s not easy winning on the road,” Woodson said. “You gotta figure out your home stands when you play, you can’t let games slip away there, and you gotta compete like hell when you get out on the road because teams play well at home. They just do in this league.” Woodson said.
Sunday’s win was another glimpse of what Indiana can be when it is connected on both ends. At 12-3 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers have won four straight and head home with a chance to continue their winning ways against USC on Wednesday.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Penn State Nittany Lions