Hoosiers Drop Road Contest at Penn State

Saturday, February 24

University Park, Pa.

Noon

Indiana University

14-13,6-10Big Ten

Penn State

14-14,8-9Big Ten

Indiana

Penn St.

2/24/2024 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Indiana scored 50 points in the paint and got 27 points from forward Malik Reneau.

That was the good news, but it wasn't enough Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers lost 83-74 at Penn State.

Reneau bounced back from a recent run of foul-plagued performances to play 35 minutes and add six rebounds while making 9-of-14 shots from the field, 9-of-12 from the line.

"We talked with him," coach Mike Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. "We watched a lot of film. He was solid, but we have to get other guys around him playing well if we're going to finish this season on a high note."

IU dropped to 14-13 overall and 6-10 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions completed a season sweep of the Hoosiers to improve to 14-14 and 8-9 behind guard Ace Baldwin's 23 points. He was one of five Nittany Lions to score in double figures.

Penn State made nine 3-pointers and was 26-for-30 from the line. Indiana was 2-for-15 from beyond the arc and 14-for-25 at the line.

"We have to make our free throws and we got opportunities to step up and shoot 3s, but we've got to knock them down," Woodson told Fischer. "That was the difference."

IU shot 51% from the field and had 14 assists against 11 turnovers.

"We were good there," Woodson told Fischer about the assists. "It could be a little more, but that's on the back of not making 3s."

Foul trouble limited center Kel'el Ware to 16 points and eight rebounds. Guard Trey Galloway had 11 points and five assists.

"From an offensive standpoint, we went inside," Woodson told Fischer. "We exploited what we thought was to our advantage -- Malik and the big fella (Ware). He got in foul trouble, but still had a solid game."

In the first half, Penn State made five 3-pointers to IU's zero to offset the Hoosiers' 22-12 edge in points in the paint.

Both teams started slowly on offense, with Penn State leading 5-4 at the first media timeout.

Ware's inside dominance (six points, two rebounds, one block, multiple altered shots) helped IU to a pair of early three-point leads, but the Hoosiers lost Mackenzie Mgbako to foul trouble and Galloway to injury.

Both teams picked up the offensive pace. IU's 18-6 edge in points in the paint (Ware and Reneau combined for 15) kept it just ahead, at 24-23, with eight minutes left in the half.

An Anthony Walker basket made it 32-32 before Penn State went on a Baldwin-led 8-0 run. Galloway returned after treatment to make a free throw for a 40-33 halftime score. Ware and Reneau combined for 21 points. Baldwin had 15. Penn State scored nine points off IU's eight turnovers.

Ware picked up his third foul seconds into the second half. Penn State hit its sixth 3-pointer for a 43-33 lead. IU's drought without a field goal approached five minutes, forcing Woodson to call a timeout.

Ware picked up his fourth foul. Payton Sparks replaced him. The Nittany Lions went into attack-the-basket mode. The Hoosiers countered with Mgbako, Reneau, Anthony Leal, and Galloway. A 12-point Penn State lead was cut to three, at 52-49, and then at 54-51. A three-point play by Reneau made it 56-54 with 10 minutes left.

The Hoosiers were positioned for a comeback victory.

Then they weren't.

The Nittany Lions followed with seven straight points to rebuild a double-digit lead.

Ware returned and completed a three-point play, and then made a hook shot for a 72-67 score as the clock ticked under three minutes.

Mgbako hit IU's first 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers a crunch-time chance, but it wasn't enough. A fourth straight loss followed.