Indiana Falls at Rutgers

Tuesday, January 9

Piscataway, N.J.

7:00 PM

Indiana University

11-5,3-2Big Ten

Rutgers

9-6,1-3Big Ten

Indiana

Rutgers

1/9/2024 9:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Road misery returned.

A second straight road loss, this time by a 66-57 score at Rutgers on Tuesday night, left Indiana coach Mike Woodson searching for answers that start with one over-riding truth:

"We have to get back to work."

Rutgers' strengths were defense, rebounding and forcing turnovers, and Indiana (11-5 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten) had no answer. It lost its second-half offense, missing free throws and field goals when it wasn't turning it over.

The Hoosiers were just 4-for-15 from the line, and 7-for-26 on three-pointers while losing at Jersey Mike's Arena for the fifth straight time.

"If I had a magic pill, I would use it," Woodson said about the shooting struggles. "It's all mental. You should feel good about yourself for putting yourself on the line.

"(To shoot like that) is unacceptable. We have to get better."

IU finished with 18 turnovers, 14 more than it had three days earlier against Ohio State.

Rutgers (9-6, 1-3) had a 51-40 rebounding advantage, and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds.

"We were awful," Woodson said. "We missed 11 free throws. We missed a lot of wide-open threes. We had 18 turnovers and gave up 19 offensive rebounds. That's losing basketball. I'm surprised we were that close."

The Hoosiers couldn't win even after holding the Scarlet Knights to 32 percent shooting and forcing 15 turnovers.

"We have to be more solid," Woodson said. "The way we play at home, we have to play like that on the road."

Senior guard Xavier Johnson, so good against Ohio State, struggled against Rutgers. He was ejected early in the second half with a flagrant foul, finishing with two points, three steals, two assists and five turnovers.

Center Kel'el Ware led IU with 13 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Forward Malik Reneau had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds. They were a combined 11-for-20 from the field. The rest of the Hoosiers were 12-for-48.

"All these things are fixable," Woodson said. "We'll see if we can fix it.

"We have to continue to work. I have to get them over the hump."

Early on, IU and Rutgers combined for six turnovers and four points. The Hoosiers battled from a 7-2 deficit to a 9-7 lead thanks to a Mackenzie Mgbako three-pointer, a Trey Galloway layup and a Ware dunk.

Despite five turnovers, the Hoosiers surged ahead 14-9 when CJ Gunn hit a three-pointer with 12 minutes left. The lead grew to seven, then shrunk to one as turnovers mounted, shots missed and Woodson rotated players in to find offensive efficiency.

At one points, IU missed seven straight shots and went scoreless for nearly six minutes. In that stretch, Rutgers missed 11 of 12 shots.

The reason for the substitutions, Woodson said, was because he thought the starters needed some rest and was confident in the bench.

"I can't play those guys 40 minutes," Woodson said. "I thought they needed a blow. I feel good about our bench. I need our bench to give us more. We didn't get it."

A Mgbako three-pointer and a Galloway dunk couldn't offset 11 Hoosier turnovers. The Scarlet Knights hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 30-27 halftime lead. They had a 12-4 edge in points off turnovers. Ware led IU with eight points and seven rebounds.

Rutgers built a couple of six-point leads in the first five minutes of the second half. Johnson finally scored, then added a steal, then was ejected. Still, IU closed within a point at 39-38 on baskets from Ware and Reneau despite 14 turnovers and 3-for-10 free throw shooting.

Credit a defense that held Rutgers to 33 percent shooting while forcing 10 turnovers.

The Scarlet Knights pushed ahead 45-38 with nine minutes left, forcing Woodson to call a timeout for some strong coaching. It didn't help. IU added four more turnovers. Rutgers built a 13-point lead.

Mgbako ended the Scarlet Knights' 12-0 run with a basket with 5:35 remaining. He added a three-pointer 90 seconds later. Galloway had a steal and a dunk. Ware hit a three-pointer. IU got within six points, but no closer.

The Hoosiers have another short turnaround. They host Minnesota on Friday night. Woodson said he expects Johnson, Galloway and fellow seniors Anthony Walker and Anthony Leal to set the tone.

"Those guys have to lead," Woodson said.