Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Handles Iowa in Tight Finish
1/30/2024 9:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- What a difference Anthony Leal makes.
The reserve senior guard, back after an injury sidelined him for a couple weeks, was a huge backcourt impact player for an Indiana team that badly needed it.
What a difference Kel'el Ware makes.
The 7-foot center returned from an ankle injury and the Hoosiers regained their basketball mojo.
On Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Iowa paid the price.
They combined for 36 points and 13 rebounds as IU (13-8 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 74-68 victory. The Hoosiers ended the game on an 8-0 run over the final 86 seconds in an impressive display of crunch-time toughness.
"We're figuring out how to win," Leal said. "It's a good step in the right direction."
Leal entered the game with 14 points all season, and finished with a career-high 13, plus a career-high seven rebounds. The former Indiana Mr. Basketball out of Bloomington High School South was 3-for-4 on three-pointers.
Coach Mike Woodson gave him the game ball.
"Where I come from in the NBA," Woodson said, "we call that a true pro. He's the ultimate teammate. He's hanging in there with me. He's done what I've asked of him, and never complained. He's a true teammate.
"Guys like that are easy to coach. You feel good when you put him in because you know what you're going to get. He's earned the right to play."
For Leal, as years and games went by with little to no playing time, it was about faith, in himself, his teammates and coaches, and in a higher power.
"I come to work every day," he said. "It's a dream come true to put on that jersey. It's what I've wanted to do since I first touched a basketball.
"Coming out of high school, everyone has those expectations (of playing a lot). I went through a coaching change (from Archie Miller to Woodson), but I stuck it out because it's a dream come true to be here whether I play one minute or 40."
Ware totaled 23 points (including a three-pointer), 10 rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes. He battled through pain and bruises, limping at times, but refusing to come out, even showing some rare emotion.
"That's what we need from him," freshman guard Gabe Cupps said. "He's super talented and skilled. The knock on him is he's not tough. He shows it in spurts. When he does show it, he's unstoppable."
Woodson said it's the result of hard work by everyone after Ware transferred from Oregon.
"It was a lot of Coach Woodson screaming at him from the beginning. I try to push him. The first two to three weeks with him was a nightmare in terms of his energy and get up and go. We've coached him to play with more energy. And he showed some emotion that I hadn't seen all year."
With Leal and Ware, the Hoosiers found their three-point sharp-shooting and overall offensive efficiency. They scored outside (8-for-22 beyond the arc) and inside (32 points in the paint).
Defensively, they held the Big Ten's highest scoring team to 17 points below their average. Iowa (12-9, 4-6) shot 35 percent from the field.
"We made defensive stops," Woodson said. "Defense will carry us the rest of the way."
This was a game of fierce pace, of taking the shot, of making the other guy pay if he didn't run as if his next five meals depended on it.
IU thrived. In the first half, it unleashed a 14-3 run while forcing Iowa to miss 10 straight shots and built leads as large as 17.
And then, in crunch time, when it mattered most, the Hoosiers took charge as they hadn't a few days earlier at Illinois.
That was crucial with injuries to forward Malik Reneau and guard Xavier Johnson. Both went to the locker room in obvious pain. Reneau was limited to two points in three minutes. Johnson had nine points and three assists in 32 minutes.
"It's the next man up," Woodson said. "You have to move on. I don't like to see any player hurt, but the game is still going on. You have to get guys refocused and deal with what's in front of them."
IU didn't make a three-pointer three days earlier at Illinois. It got one in less than a minute from forward Mackenzie Mgbako, and then other seconds later, also from Mgbako.
Then came the defense. A Trey Galloway steal set up a Johnson layup. A Johnson steal gave the Hoosiers another offensive shot as they rushed to a 15-7 lead.
Ware added a couple of dunks, then banked in a three-pointer for a 24-15 Hoosier advantage that swelled to 31-15 thanks to consecutive Leal three-pointers.
The Hoosiers got it to 39-22 before Iowa ended the half on a 6-0 run for a 39-28 halftime lead. Ware led IU with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Leal had six points on those two three-pointers.
The teams basically trade points over the first four minutes of the second half before Iowa got hot to close within 44-41.
A Galloway basket and a Johnson three-pointer stopped that run, but another Hawkeye surge produced a 49-49 tie with 10:30 left. Galloway again ended that with a basket, but Iowa inched ahead 56-53.
Ware tied it with a three-point play with 7:30 left. Leal's third three-point pushed IU ahead 59-58. Ware's four straight points gave the Hoosiers a 64-60 lead as the clock ticked under four minutes.
Six straight Hawkeye points gave them a two-point lead. Johnson was hurt on a foul driving to the basket and went to the locker room. Galloway shot his free throws and made both for a 66-66 score.
Down by two, Cupps' three-pointer -- his only shot of the game -- gave IU a 69-68 lead with 1:21 left. Galloway's free throw and a Ware dunk make it 72-68 with 26.1 seconds left.
Leal capped it with a pair of free throws, and then grabbed the final rebounds to snap a four-game losing streak to Iowa.
"We hadn't beaten this team since I've been here," Woodson said. "(Iowa coach Fran McCaffery) has had his way with us.
"They get after you. We withstood it and made the plays down the strength when we needed it the most."
