Saturday, January 6
Bloomington, Ind.
8:00 PM
Indiana University
11-4,3-1Big Ten
71
vs
65
Ohio State
12-3,2-2Big Ten
1
2
F
Ohio St.
38
27
65
Indiana
37
34
71
Indiana Uses Second Half Surge to Beat Ohio State
1/6/2024 10:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Physical?
You bet.
Competitive?
Xavier Johnson demanded it Saturday night.
Indiana's much-needed 71-65 victory over Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall had a strong Johnson-and-Malik Reneau influence.
Johnson's to-be-expected-first-game-back-from-injury rust against Nebraska was gone, replaced by quickness, efficiency and ferocity. The senior guard totaled 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers. He was, once again, a guy who rates among the Big Ten's best guards, a much-missed factor in the seven games he was sidelined by injury.
"I was motivated," Johnson said. "I let the game come to me. I trusted myself and my teammates to make the right play."
Trust came from some rugged practices after Wednesday night's 16-point loss at Nebraska that included 19 team turnovers, four from Johnson.
"I let him loose," coach Mike Woodson said.
Those zero turnovers left Johnson smiling.
"That's something you rarely see from me. I'm an aggressive guard.
"I have to grow up. I grew up tonight. My teammates rely on me making the right play all the time."
Johnson called all the time missed "challenging."
"I had a crack in my foot. I tried to stay in it (mentally). I kept my conditioning up. I tried to have a positive impact even though I wasn't playing."
Woodson challenged Johnson and fellow senior guard Trey Galloway after their Nebraska struggles. He called their play, "awful."
The result -- they combined for 12 points, six assists and no turnovers in a first half that ended with a 38-37 Ohio State lead. They finished with 22 points, 10 assists and one turnover.
Johnson, who had limited practice time before the Nebraska game, said he felt "out of rhythm" that first game back.
"I can't make that excuse. I'm a sixth-year guy. Coach expects a lot out of me. I'll give it everything I have for the rest of the year."
Fellow guard CJ Gunn is confident Johnson will.
"He's been working hard. He's hungry for this. We count on him. We were there for him. He's aour captain. We look to him for leadership. He will help lead us through the Big Ten and, hopefully, a championship."
IU (11-4 overall) is 3-1 in the Big Ten, a half-game out of first place.
This wasn't a one-man victory. Reneau had 23 points and seven rebounds. Gunn came off the bench for 10 points, just off the career-high 11 he had against Elon as a freshman.
Woodson said he gave Gunn and Johnson game balls.
"CJ was excellent coming off the bench," he said.
The Hoosiers needed all that excellence after Ohio State (12-3, 2-2) hit them with a 12-0 first-half run.
They didn't blink.
The Buckeyes delivered an 8-0 second-half opening run for a nine-point lead.
The Hoosiers battled back.
Amid now-or-never second-half pressure, Johnson, Reneau and Gunn took over offensively, and all the Hoosiers did defensively, brutalizing what had previously been an effective Ohio State offense. Nothing came easily for the Buckeyes except misery. They finished with 14 turnovers and 36% shooting.
IU had a 22-5 edge on points off turnovers and a 40-24 points-in-the-paint advantage. That offset Ohio State's 49-27 rebounding advantage, which produced a 24-9 edge in second-chance points.
That left Woodson challenging Reneau and center Kel'el Ware.
"I told the they were awful in rebounding. (Ohio State's) bigs kicked our butts. We won't win with that kind of rebound margin. We got away with it tonight."
Galloway and Johnson were dialed in early. Galloway had an assist and a steal, and Johnson had an assist, as IU pushed ahead 9-5, and then 15-8. One big reason – it had a 6-0 edge in points off turnovers.
The Hoosiers' 3-point defensive woes continued. Jamison Battle made three of them to help deliver a 20-15 Ohio State lead.
The Buckeyes surged to a 30-23 lead. IU stayed within range thanks to Gunn's five points and aggressive defense.
A four-point Johnson play cut Ohio State's lead to 36-35 with 47.1 seconds left in the half. Then the Hoosiers forced a turnover. Then Johnson attacked, drew a foul and made both free throws for a 37-36 IU lead. The Buckeyes added a pair of free throws to end the half ahead 38-37. IU had a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers.
The Buckeyes opened the second half with an 8-0 in less than two minutes, forcing Woodson to call a timeout. The Hoosiers responded with eight straight points from Reneau and Johnson.
A Reneau 3-pointer produced a 48-48 tie with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Reneau, Johnson and Gunn took total control. IU surged ahead 66-56 with three minutes left. The Buckeyes rallied within two before a basket by Reneau and two Johnson free throws clinched it.
Next up – a Tuesday trip to Rutgers. Woodson's message: play for 40 minutes there like the Hoosiers did the final 15 against Ohio State.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Physical?
You bet.
Competitive?
Xavier Johnson demanded it Saturday night.
Indiana's much-needed 71-65 victory over Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall had a strong Johnson-and-Malik Reneau influence.
Johnson's to-be-expected-first-game-back-from-injury rust against Nebraska was gone, replaced by quickness, efficiency and ferocity. The senior guard totaled 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers. He was, once again, a guy who rates among the Big Ten's best guards, a much-missed factor in the seven games he was sidelined by injury.
"I was motivated," Johnson said. "I let the game come to me. I trusted myself and my teammates to make the right play."
Trust came from some rugged practices after Wednesday night's 16-point loss at Nebraska that included 19 team turnovers, four from Johnson.
"I let him loose," coach Mike Woodson said.
Those zero turnovers left Johnson smiling.
"That's something you rarely see from me. I'm an aggressive guard.
"I have to grow up. I grew up tonight. My teammates rely on me making the right play all the time."
Johnson called all the time missed "challenging."
"I had a crack in my foot. I tried to stay in it (mentally). I kept my conditioning up. I tried to have a positive impact even though I wasn't playing."
Woodson challenged Johnson and fellow senior guard Trey Galloway after their Nebraska struggles. He called their play, "awful."
The result -- they combined for 12 points, six assists and no turnovers in a first half that ended with a 38-37 Ohio State lead. They finished with 22 points, 10 assists and one turnover.
Johnson, who had limited practice time before the Nebraska game, said he felt "out of rhythm" that first game back.
"I can't make that excuse. I'm a sixth-year guy. Coach expects a lot out of me. I'll give it everything I have for the rest of the year."
Fellow guard CJ Gunn is confident Johnson will.
"He's been working hard. He's hungry for this. We count on him. We were there for him. He's aour captain. We look to him for leadership. He will help lead us through the Big Ten and, hopefully, a championship."
IU (11-4 overall) is 3-1 in the Big Ten, a half-game out of first place.
This wasn't a one-man victory. Reneau had 23 points and seven rebounds. Gunn came off the bench for 10 points, just off the career-high 11 he had against Elon as a freshman.
Woodson said he gave Gunn and Johnson game balls.
"CJ was excellent coming off the bench," he said.
The Hoosiers needed all that excellence after Ohio State (12-3, 2-2) hit them with a 12-0 first-half run.
They didn't blink.
The Buckeyes delivered an 8-0 second-half opening run for a nine-point lead.
The Hoosiers battled back.
Amid now-or-never second-half pressure, Johnson, Reneau and Gunn took over offensively, and all the Hoosiers did defensively, brutalizing what had previously been an effective Ohio State offense. Nothing came easily for the Buckeyes except misery. They finished with 14 turnovers and 36% shooting.
IU had a 22-5 edge on points off turnovers and a 40-24 points-in-the-paint advantage. That offset Ohio State's 49-27 rebounding advantage, which produced a 24-9 edge in second-chance points.
That left Woodson challenging Reneau and center Kel'el Ware.
"I told the they were awful in rebounding. (Ohio State's) bigs kicked our butts. We won't win with that kind of rebound margin. We got away with it tonight."
Galloway and Johnson were dialed in early. Galloway had an assist and a steal, and Johnson had an assist, as IU pushed ahead 9-5, and then 15-8. One big reason – it had a 6-0 edge in points off turnovers.
The Hoosiers' 3-point defensive woes continued. Jamison Battle made three of them to help deliver a 20-15 Ohio State lead.
The Buckeyes surged to a 30-23 lead. IU stayed within range thanks to Gunn's five points and aggressive defense.
A four-point Johnson play cut Ohio State's lead to 36-35 with 47.1 seconds left in the half. Then the Hoosiers forced a turnover. Then Johnson attacked, drew a foul and made both free throws for a 37-36 IU lead. The Buckeyes added a pair of free throws to end the half ahead 38-37. IU had a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers.
The Buckeyes opened the second half with an 8-0 in less than two minutes, forcing Woodson to call a timeout. The Hoosiers responded with eight straight points from Reneau and Johnson.
A Reneau 3-pointer produced a 48-48 tie with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Reneau, Johnson and Gunn took total control. IU surged ahead 66-56 with three minutes left. The Buckeyes rallied within two before a basket by Reneau and two Johnson free throws clinched it.
Next up – a Tuesday trip to Rutgers. Woodson's message: play for 40 minutes there like the Hoosiers did the final 15 against Ohio State.
Team Stats
OSU
IND
FG%
.362
.458
3FG%
.259
.417
FT%
.889
.750
RB
49
28
TO
14
4
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard
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