In its first game since head coach Mike Woodson announced he’s retiring at the end of this season, Indiana men’s basketball (14-10, 5-8 Big Ten) fell 70-67 to Michigan (18-5, 10-2 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers have now lost five straight games and seven of their last eight overall.
Junior forward Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers in scoring with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He was joined in double figures by two teammates, as sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 15 points and fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal added 12 points.
During pre-game introductions of players and coaches, Michigan head coach Dusty May drew considerable applause from the Hoosier faithful. May was a student manager at Indiana from 1996-2000. Woodson largely received cheers, but with a few boos smattered in.
Tied at 5 after a little more than two minutes, Michigan went on an 11-0 run in just over three minutes, taking a commanding 16-5 lead. Indiana responded with 11 consecutive points across three minutes to draw even.
But the Hoosiers scored only 3 points over the next five minutes while the Wolverines hit five shots and seven free throws en route to their largest lead of the game at 35-19.
Indiana, which saw its deficit reach 18 points with one minute left, entered halftime trailing 43-27. Some fans in the student section booed as the Hoosiers walked off the floor.
But Indiana stormed back.
Facing a 49-32 deficit with 17 minutes remaining in the game, Mgbako and Reneau spearheaded a 20-4 run, pulling the Hoosiers within a point at the under-12 timeout. Mgbako scored 11 points during the run, while Reneau added 6.
Michigan punched back with nine minutes left and with its lead dwindled to 53-52, riding a 6-0 run to a 59-52 advantage — but Indiana responded with a 7-0 surge, equalizing the score at 59 with less than four minutes to play.
The Wolverines took a 66-61 lead, but Reneau made a layup and Mgbako secured a defensive rebound on a missed shot, giving the Hoosiers the ball and a chance to tie. After Woodson called timeout, Mgbako attempted a 3-pointer on the inbound pass but failed to connect.
Michigan junior guard Tre Donaldson missed the front end of a one-and-one with 20 seconds remaining, then Donaldson fouled Indiana fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway with 12 seconds left. Galloway made one but missed the other.
Junior center Danny Wolf hit both free throws on the other end, giving Michigan a 68-64 lead, and Reneau’s 3-pointer rimmed out, sealing the Hoosiers’ fate.
Indiana returns to action at 9 p.m. Tuesday against Michigan State inside Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.
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.
