Hoosiers Salvage 7th Place with a win 

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

    The #12 Excel H Sports Ranked Indiana Hoosiers finished the Battle 4 Atlantis with an 89-73 win over the Providence Friars in the 7th place game Friday Morning at the Impearl Arena in Nassau The Bahamas. The Hoosiers are 5-2 on the season and return home to host Sam Houston State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Providence is 5-3 on the season and Hoosiers lead the all-time series 3-0 with the Friars. The Hoosiers defeated the Friars by a score of 97-79 in the third-place game of the 1973 NCAA Tournament. IU Hall of Fame inductee Steve Downing paced the Hoosiers with 21 points and 14 rebounds in the game. IU also earned a 79-58 victory over Providence in the opening round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 30, 2020, in Asheville, N.C. Race Thompson had a career day with 22 points and 13 rebounds in the contest. Aljami Durham added 19 points, six boards, and three assists.

   Mackenize Mgbako led the Hoosiers with 25 points, Malik Reneau added 21 points and Trey Galloway added 18 points as he started in place of Kannan Carlyle who was out due to a lower body injury. Oumar Ballo scored 8 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Langdon Hatton has provided key minutes off the bench with the Hoosier Bigs in foul trouble the last two games. The 6-10 Georgetown, Indiana native and Bellarmine transfer scored 4 points in 8 minutes hitting his only field goal and both free throws and a rebound. Indiana finished the game 32-60 from the field for 53%, 8-15 from three-point range for 53% and 17-20 from the free throw line for 85%. The Hoosiers pulled down 38 rebounds, dished out 20 assists, 5 steals, 5 blocks and committed 10 turnovers. Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson said after the game that Carlyle is day to day and “He couldn’t move today, so we shut him down.”

    Jayden Pierre led Providence with 22 points. Corey Floyd Jr. and Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 14 points apiece. The Friars finished 25-64 from the field for 39%, 10-30 from three-point range for 33% and 13-21 from the free throw line for 62%. Providence pulled down 36 rebounds, 15 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks and committed 7 turnovers.

   Mackenize Mgbako scored seven straight Indiana points late in the first half to finish with 13 at the break. Indiana led by as many as 19 points in the second half and Providence didn’t get closer than nine after the break. Indiana led 44-34 at halftime and outscored Providence 45-39 in the second half. Indiana started the second half on a 13-4 run to take control at 57-38. Malik Reneau converted a three-point play on back-to-back possessions during the run. Indiana played better in terms of hitting shots getting stops and able to play with the lead and not let the Friars to get a big run and be able to get back in the game.

   After being blown out by Louisville and a double-digit loss to Gonzaga it has been a learning experience for the Hoosiers after three games in three days and a 1-2 record that was not expected given the high expectations for this team this season. Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson has learned that the season continues and there is a lot of room for improvement.” We’ve got to play harder, get better. We’ll continue to practice and work hard, and I got to keep pushing them” Woodson said after the game. Galloway had offseason surgery has not felt 100% for a long time but on Friday the Fifth year Senior felt great and that is music to Mike Woodson’ ears. “I was holding my breath that he would get up this morning and tell me he felt fine, because we hadn’t heard that a lot. And he got up this morning and told me it was the best he’d felt in a long time.” The Hoosiers have non-conference games at home before hosting Minnesota and traveling to Nebraska to start the December Big Ten slate.