Indiana men’s basketball traveled over 2,000 miles to face Washington on Saturday at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle for its first of two Big Ten matchups on the West Coast this season. While programs have struggled after long-distance travel in the newly expanded conference, the Hoosiers showed no signs of fatigue against the Huskies.
Indiana used a fast start and bountiful bench production to earn a 78-62 win over Washington in its third consecutive victory. The Hoosiers improved to 18-11 overall and 9-9 in the Big Ten with just two games left in the regular season.
Junior forward Malik Reneau led Indiana with a season-high 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting off the bench. His return to the court was a welcome addition for head coach Mike Woodson after the Miami native missed the Hoosiers’ 83-78 win over Penn State on Wednesday with an illness.
Senior forward Luke Goode’s shooting from the perimeter complimented Reneau’s paint dominance. Goode tallied 18 points and made 5 of his 9 shots from beyond the arc.
Indiana jumped out to a 15-point lead after making a trio of 3-pointers during a 21-4 run that ended with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Washington showed signs of life with an 8-0 run of its own to cut the Hoosiers’ deficit to as few as 8. Regardless, Indiana’s efficient offense continued finding high-percentage looks and took a 44-30 lead into halftime — the most points the Hoosiers have scored in a first half since their 82-67 win over Minnesota on Dec. 9.
Regardless, Indiana’s efficient offense continued finding high-percentage looks and took a 44-30 lead into halftime — the most points the Hoosiers have scored in a first half since their 82-67 win over Minnesota on Dec. 9, 2024.
The Huskies opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 7 points, but it proved to be the smallest margin of the half. Indiana quickly put Washington’s comeback aspirations to rest with a 16-5 run that featured Goode’s 8 straight points. The Hoosiers’ lead stayed above double digits for the remainder of the game.
The Cream and Crimson bench scored 35 of the team’s 78 points.
Indiana will conclude its West Coast trip against Oregon at 9 p.m. Tuesday inside Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. The Hoosiers’ penultimate regular season matchup will be broadcast on FS1.
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.
