In the moments following Malik Reneau’s dunk, the Indiana men’s basketball sophomore forward found the nearest camera and stared.
Viewers watching on Big Ten Network were making intense eye contact with Reneau, who’d just tied his career high with 18 points.
Most impressive? The game hadn’t yet reached the under-16 timeout in the second half
Over the final 16:13, Reneau added 7 points to his total, setting a new career high with 25 points while leading the Hoosiers (9-3) to an 83-66 win over North Alabama University (6-7) on Thursday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Reneau’s strong night was driven by a breakthrough from beyond the arc, as he went 4-of-4 from 3-point range. It marked the continuation of Reneau’s improved perimeter shooting, as he knocked down a pair in the Hoosiers’ Dec. 16 loss to the University of Kansas, setting a new career high.
The Miami, Florida, native broke that mark less than a week later, sparked by a steady build in confidence from working with Indiana assistant coach Calbert Cheaney, the Hoosiers’ all-time leading scorer with 2,613 points.
“Understanding how he played the game, how he was able to work around the court, be able to get his shot wherever he wanted,” Reneau said. “Just getting reps up, being confident when you go out there, not being scared to shoot the ball. I think that was the main part for me.”
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson attributed Reneau’s hot shooting performance to getting his opportunities in rhythm, which Woodson feels naturally helps any shooter connect at a greater clip.
Regardless, it netted an air of moxie to Reneau, who raised three fingers and clanged them off his head ala NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony after hitting his second 3-pointer in the first half.
In that moment, Reneau had collected his 11th point of the night. The rest of the team had just seven combined.
The Hoosiers grew more balanced as the night wore on, as nine players found the scoring column. Indiana made 12 3-pointers, doubling its previous season high while setting a new top mark in Woodson’s three-year tenure.
With Reneau leading the charge, the Hoosiers — who entered the night shooting 27.4% from beyond the arc — went 50% against the Lions.
As a result of Indiana’s improved shooting, daylight cleared for senior guard Trey Galloway, who knifed in and out of lanes, found open shooters and threw countless alley-oops to sophomore center Kel’el Ware. Galloway set a new career high with nine assists.
The Hoosiers went 15-of-25 from the field and 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the second half, while six of Galloway’s assists came in the final 20 minutes. Led by Reneau’s newfound shooting touch, Indiana’s offense looked more efficient than it has all season.
“Just opening up the court, being able to space the floor out, opened it up a lot for Gallo to get in the lane and kick out for threes and lobs over the top to Kel'el,” Reneau said. “I think that was a great job by Gallo. He played great today.”
The 6-foot-9, 233-pound Reneau has been a consistent presence for the Hoosiers this season, entering Thursday ranked second on the team in both points (13.8) and rebounds (5.1) per game while tying for the team lead with 2.7 assists per game.
Still, his 3-point shooting hadn’t been there — at least not consistently.
During the Hoosiers’ exhibition win over Marian University, Reneau knocked down a pair of shots from long range. But entering the 75-71 loss to Kansas, he’d hit just 1-of-7 attempts outside the 3-point line.
Now, Reneau’s made 6 of his last 8 such shots, finding his confidence and elevating the Hoosiers’ offensive execution both by his numbers and the resulting effects on defenses.
“That brings a lot of planning that I can space the floor out, be able to knock one down or be able to shoot the ball and make a couple,” Reneau said. “Teams got to defend for that now. It just brings so much confidence to myself coming in after this break, coming into the Big Ten play.”
Reneau and the Hoosiers will look to continue their momentum Dec. 29, when Kennesaw State University travels to Assembly Hall for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
