BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tenacity. Resilience. Toughness. Indiana displayed all of it under must-win conditions Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. NCAA tourney prospects likely depended on it.
The Hoosiers’ 83-78 victory over Penn State followed up their Sunday upset of top-20 Purdue and generated much-needed momentum entering a two-game West Coast trip to Washington (13-15) and Oregon (20-8).
“These seniors don’t get another shot at this,” coach Mike Woodson said. “They know what it’s about. We’ve got to ride them and see where it leads us.”
IU (17-11 overall, 8-9 in the Big Ten) won consecutive games for the first time since late December/early January.
“At the end of the day,” Woodson said, “we’ve lost some games when we were right there. These guys are playing for something. We’re trying to get into the tournament.”
Added guard Trey Galloway: “We’re coming together. We know we’re a better team than what we’ve shown. We’re fighting for a spot in the tournament. We have to keep focusing on the next game. Everyone is buying in and pushing each other to get better.”
Want clutch shooting? How about consecutive Galloway 3-pointers that earned IU its first second-half lead with five minutes left, or guard Myles Rice following with a big 3-pointer of his own.
IU was 6-for-8 on 3-pointers in the second half and finished 10-for-15.
“We have to keep shooting with confidence,” Galloway said. “The shots came out of the offense. Guys are setting screens and moving the ball. We’re doing a great job of sharing it. Guys are being unselfish.”
Added Woodson: “Guys have been getting good looks. Tonight, we made them. It’s nice to see. Hopefully, that’s a good sign moving forward.”
IU shot 56.9% from the field with 24 assists.
“We preached on sharing the ball and making the right play,” Galloway said. “It helps when you’re making shots. We got great shots out of our offense. We were flowing and moving the ball.”
Center Oumar Ballo returned to double-double form with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He added five assists and two steals.
Galloway had 16 points on 4-for-5 3-point shooting and added nine assists for the second straight game. Rice and swingman Mackenzie Mgbako each had 13 points. Forward Luke Goode added 10.
Forward Malik Reneau, so dominant over the previous four games, didn’t play. Woodson said he experienced a medical emergency before the game and went to the hospital.
“I’ve got to get an update. I know we took him to the hospital with an emergency. He was fine in shoot-around. Then he came down with something. I don’t know where we are with Malik. The sooner he can get back, the better. It’s next man up. Everybody’s got to just stay ready.”
IU was coming off its best half of the season with a 48-21 outburst against Purdue. Penn State (15-14, 5-13) had won two straight after losing 11 of its previous 12.
Penn State went inside and out for a 7-1 lead in less than two minutes, aided by IU missing three of four free throws. Goode ignited the crowd with a 3-pointer. A Galloway bank shot followed by his steal and layup pushed the Hoosiers ahead 12-10. A second Goode 3-pointer off guard Anthony Leal’s assist gave IU a 17-12 lead eight minutes into the game.
The Nittany Lions scored 10 straight points before guard Kanaan Carlyle made a reverse layup and then a 3-pointer for a 22-22 tie with seven minutes remaining.
An Mgbako 3-pointer tied it at 29-29. Ballo’s layup off an offensive rebound left IU trailing 39-37 at halftime. Ballo led the Hoosiers with 11 points and six rebounds.
Penn State built a couple of early five-point second-half leads. A Ballo 3-point play, and a Rice 3-pointer and layup pushed IU ahead 52-51.
The Nittany Lions again went ahead by five. The Hoosiers again fought back. A Ballo layup tied it at 67-67 with 6:20 left. Thirty seconds later, Galloway’s 3-pointer gave IU its first second-half lead at 70-69. He followed with another 3-pointer for a four-point Hoosier lead. Leal rebounded, was fouled and hit a pair of free throws for a 75-69 score.
Rice hit a dagger 3-pointer, then added a layup off a Penn State turnover. The Hoosiers had an 80-73 lead they never lost. Goode’s pair of late free throws clinched it.
“At this point in the season,” Ballo said, “every game is important, but this one was special because we know we’re playing for something big.”