Indiana tipped off its final non-conference game of the regular season down two starters. However, Indiana’s offensive rhythm was evident from the jump as the Hoosiers scored 50 points in each half to defeat the Kennesaw State Owls 100-87 Friday night in Assembly Hall.
Point guard Xavier Johnson has now missed seven games in a row after suffering a lower left leg injury against Harvard and center Kel’el Ware missed the game with an illness.
Sophomore forward Malik Reneau was excellent in Ware’s absence, posting a career-high 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. His performance came one game after he finished with a previous career-high 25 points against North Alabama last Thursday.
“I really got the motivation from Trayce (Jackson-Davis) and Race (Thompson), seeing how they played in the whole Big Ten and seeing how they dominated,” Reneau said. “I just needed time to understand the game and go out there.”
Head coach Mike Woodson praised the big man's development.
Junior forward Payton Sparks made his first career start for IU in the absence of Ware. Sparks started all 62 games he played in his career at Ball State. He made the best of his 14 minutes, finishing with 10 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting, as well as eight rebounds, two assists, four blocks and one steal.
“That tells me a lot about him in terms of being ready to play because you just never know,” Woodson said. “We didn’t know that Ware wasn’t going to play until this morning. And he was ready and stepped in and gave us a major lift. That’s what team play is all about, and everybody’s just gotta stay ready to play.”
Sophomore forward Kaleb Banks said Sparks made numerous game-changing plays that gave the Hoosiers momentum, including a put-back dunk that brought the Assembly Hall crowd to their feet midway through the second half.
Sparks and Reneau were responsible for much of the scoring without Ware, but not all of it. Six Hoosiers finished in double figures, including freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako with 14 points (4-for-5 from three), senior guard Trey Galloway with 14, Banks with 12, and Sparks and senior forward Anthony Walker with 10 each.
Senior guard Anthony Leal may have made one of the biggest bench contributions. He finished with a plus/minus of plus-17 in 13 minutes.
“He definitely had a spark off the bench,” Reneau said. “He came in with so much energy, it just rejuvenated us and got us back to what we needed to do on the court, and we got stops.”
Woodson added that Leal had a great week of practice and Woodson thought Leal earned more minutes. Woodson also said that Leal made an impact specifically from a defensive standpoint.
Kennesaw State shot 17-for-35 from three (49%) and two of its players finished with 20 points or more. However, the Owls allowed the Hoosiers to shoot 33 free throws, which helped IU close the door on the Owls’ late comeback attempt.
“We won, that’s what matters,” Woodson said. “They made a lot of shots, some tough shots. It’s part of the game but we didn’t fold. When we went down four, our defense kicked in, got stops. We executed on the other end and got the lead and were able to bring it home.”
Indiana improved to 10-3 and ended 2023 on a three-game winning streak before the Hoosiers resume Big Ten play against Nebraska on Jan. 3.
