PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Indiana is becoming a basketball team no one wants to face.
Stifling defense?
Check.
Dynamic 3-point shooting?
Check again, and if it’s only a two-game perimeter sharp-shooting sample, don’t overlook the significance in the wake of Sunday’s 77-71 victory over Penn State at the Palestra.
“It was a gutty effort,” coach Mike Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. “(Penn State) forces you to play 40 minutes. They get after you defensively. I thought if we came in with a defensive mindset and rebounded with them we’d, have a shot.”
The Hoosiers (12-3 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) throttled one of the conference’s best offensive teams, holding Penn State (12-3, 2-2) 17 points below its season average.
A 15-2 surge to open the second half — sparked by swingman Mackenzie Mgbako’s personal 8-0 run in 56 seconds — provided crucial separation as IU won its fourth straight game. Mgbako finished with 20 points.
“That was big time,” Woodson told Fischer. “He started the run. We couldn’t throw it in the ocean in the first half from three. After that, it became a trickle effect, which was good.”
Mgbako was 4-for-8 on 3-pointers. Forward Luke Goode was 3-for-5 while scoring 12 points. Guards Myles Rice and Trey Galloway each had a 3-pointer.
Center Oumar Ballo dominated for the second straight game. He totaled 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He had 17 and 12 during Thursday night’s win over Rutgers.
That coincides with IU being without forward Malik Reneau, who was injured early against Rutgers. His return status is uncertain, although the injury isn’t expected to be season ending. Woodson said during the post-game press conference that it would “be a while” before Reneau returns.
“Ballo was huge,” Woodson told Fischer. “We’re featuring him now. He’s always been a double-double guy in his career. We’re featuring him more now with Malik being out. He really stepped up, but it was a total team effort.”
Hoosier defense and Penn State misfires resulted in 3-for-21 Nittany Lion 3-point shooting, not good enough against an IU team that made nine 3-pointers.
Perhaps going 1-for-20 on 3-pointers against Winthrop was the best thing to happen to IU. It is 21-for-50 from beyond the arc in two games since.
Still, it was the Hoosiers’ ability to contain Penn State’s offense and guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (he scored 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting), that generated the most Woodson praise.
“Our defense held us where we needed to be,” he told Fischer.
The 98-year-old Palestra is considered one of the nation’s most iconic basketball venues. Penn still uses it as its home court, and Penn State schedules one game there every season. Its hallways includes a 1960s’ black-and-white photo of Bob Knight during his Army coaching days.
Mgbako and Goode hit early 3-pointers to boost IU to a 13-10 lead. Add a strong start from Ballo and those three kept the Hoosiers ahead until a Nittany Lion surge gave them a 22-18 lead midway through the first half. All 22 of those points came in the paint.
A Galloway jumper tied it at 22-22 with seven minutes left in the half. A Ballo dunk put IU ahead 29-27 with two minutes left.
The Hoosiers defended Penn State into a six-minute scoring drought before the half ended in a 29-29 tie. Ballo led with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Mgbako’s eight-point surge in the first 56 seconds of the second half helped boost IU to a 39-29 lead. Goode’s second 3-pointer of the game pushed the Hoosiers ahead 44-31. Another Goode 3-pointer gave Indiana a 15-point lead. A Galloway 3-pointer made it a 61-45 score midway through the second half.
Mgbako’s fourth 3-point kept IU ahead 65-54 with 7:23 left, but Ballo went out with his fourth foul. Penn State responded with its first two 3-pointers of the game to close within 65-61. Ballo returned to deliver a three-point play with 5:26 left.
A Penn State 3-pointer cut Indiana’s lead to 73-71 with 1:27 left. Mgbako and Rice each hit a pair of free throws to clinch the victory.
“The bottom line, we made the plays coming down the stretch and made our free throws to secure it,” Woodson told Fischer.