Indiana basketball notched its second straight Big Ten win with a 77-71 victory over Penn State, improving to 3-1 in conference play and 12-3 overall. The Hoosiers led by as much as 16 in the second half before a late-game Penn State surge cut the lead to just two.
Nonetheless, Indiana closed it out behind a 25-point explosion from senior big man Oumar Ballo. Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Mgbako also showed out with 20 points on 4/8 shooting from the 3-point line.
In his postgame press conference, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson commended his Hoosiers for the poise and character they showed down the stretch.
“I’ve seen some of that (character) throughout the early part of this season,” Woodson said. “When things got tight, they didn’t go the other way. We made our free throws. 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.”
The Hoosiers were also missing their leading scorer in Malik Reneau. Reneau sustained a knee injury in Indiana’s previous outing against Rutgers, and his eventual return date is unknown.
After beating Penn State, Woodson said he was uncertain of Reneau’s timeline for a return. However, he confirmed that Reneau didn’t suffer any kind of tear. The 6-foot-9 junior has averaged 14.1 points this season while shooting a ridiculous 60.3% from the field.
With only one loss in five outings since their first Big Ten win against Minnesota, the Hoosiers seem ready to compete for a conference championship and a return to March Madness. They did not make the NCAA Tournament last season.
Woodson summed it up best in his presser.
“It’s special. When you get a chance to win on the road in the Big Ten, that’s big time because it’s not easy … You’ve gotta compete like hell when you get out on the road because teams play well at home. They just do.”
