Indiana men’s basketball had more than a week to digest its blowout loss to Nebraska on the road Dec. 13. The Hoosiers looked to play a more complete 40 minutes on both sides of the ball as they returned home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to play the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Saturday afternoon.
Despite a formidable effort from the Mocs, Indiana remained unbeaten on its home floor with a 74-65 win.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako bounced back from a season-low 2 points last time out with a team-high 14 points, matching the scoring total of junior forward Malik Reneau.
Reneau added four assists and four steals in an all-around performance from the post, while scoring double-digits for the sixth straight game.
Indiana grabbed an early 5-2 lead within the first two minutes of play, but its poor perimeter offense provided Chattanooga with the advantage for a large portion of the first half. The Mocs led by as many as 7 points, with the Hoosiers shooting 3 for 11 from beyond the arc.
The Cream and Crimson closed out a back-and-forth first half with a 10-3 run to take a 41-38 lead into halftime. There were 12 lead changes prior to intermission.
Head coach Mike Woodson’s team came out of the break with more intensity on the defensive end and immediately took control of the game as a result. While holding Chattanooga to an over three-minute-long scoring drought, Indiana bolted to a 13-point lead in emphatic fashion.
Reneau capped off an 8-0 scoring run with a posterizing slam that sent the Hoosier faithful in Assembly Hall into a frenzy.
Unfazed by Indiana’s newfound momentum, the Mocs kept the deficit manageable thanks to the play of junior guard Honor Huff, who finished with a team high 20 points. Chattanooga cut the Hoosiers’ lead to as few as 4 points with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
Leading 69-65 with less than a minute remaining, redshirt sophomore Myles Rice finished a coast-to-coast drive with a left-handed layup at the rim to erase the Mocs chances of completing the comeback.
Next up for Indiana (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) is its final non-conference matchup of the season against Winthrop University. The Hoosiers will have the week off to rest before hosting the Eagles on Dec. 29 at Assembly Hall, with the remainder of Big Ten play to follow.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
