Morehead State guard Eddie Ricks III had a steal and a slam at the halftime buzzer, and boos were heard all across Assembly Hall as the Indiana Hoosiers headed into the locker room down by 11.
The environment at the final buzzer, however, happened to be much different.
Malik Reneau blocked a Jordan Lathon jumper as the clocks hit zero, and cheers erupted as the Hoosiers pulled off the 69-68 victory over Morehead State on Tuesday night.
“I thought at the start of the game we were flat, and like we didn’t even want to be out there,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “Finally we picked it up when our backs were against the wall, and we made plays coming down the stretch that we had to make in order to win the game.”
Those plays down the stretch resulted in a 20-4 Indiana run over the final eight and a half minutes to seal the win for Indiana. But the plays leading up were much different to the eye of those occupying the seats of Assembly Hall.
A major reason for Indiana’s struggles throughout most of the game came from Morehead State’s starting guard Jordan Lathon. The UTEP transfer collected 30 points — shooting 6-for-10 from 3 — along with six rebounds and two assists.
In the first half, Lathon collected 15 of his 30 points, contributing to the team’s 36 points at the half, resulting in the double-digit lead as the Eagles headed into the locker room.
“We really struggled with the pick-and-roll up top. It’s something that we haven’t done all year,” Woodson said. “Then [Lathon] got away. He made some tough shots. I knew they were going to go to him at the end [of the game], and I thought they got the switch that they wanted with Malik [Reneau], but Malik just held in there and kept his ground was was able to get a tip, his hands on the ball when he shot it.”
A lot of Indiana’s early struggles in the season were especially apparent in Indiana’s first half of play — shooting 0-for-6 from 3 and 3-for-9 from the free-throw line — which was another factor in the Hoosiers’ slow start and double-digit deficit.
Another underlying component to Indiana’s consistent struggles throughout the game was the team's lack of energy.
With two of Indiana’s starters having not scored a single point in the first half, it was apparent that nothing was working offensively for the Hoosiers, and that Morehead State was producing a solid defensive scheme.
Indiana’s star frontcourt of Reneau and Kel’el Ware were unable to find anything in the paint, producing four first-half points, with all four coming from Reneau.
“This was definitely a lesson,” Indiana forward Anthony Walker said. “There is no lesser opponent in college basketball, so this is definitely a lesson, and we’ll be the boss of our own energy for the rest of the year. Trust me on that one.”
Walker, a Miami transfer, was a positive off the bench for IU. Walker held the most of Indiana’s 25 points heading into halftime, collecting eight points, along with two rebounds and one assist.
Despite a solid first half performance, it was the second half where Walker truly shined for Indiana, and helped guide IU to the nail-biting victory. Walker ended the night leading the team with 18 points — shooting 8-for-12 — with nine rebounds and two assists.
“Phenomenal,” Woodson said when asked about Walker’s performance. “He deserves the MVP tonight. He played 22 minutes, had 18 points, nine rebounds. By far his best game since he’s been wearing an Indiana uniform. We needed every bit of it to win this game tonight.”
A win is a win. It isn’t a margin that the Hoosiers would have hoped for, but Indiana moves to 8-3 on the season.
The Hoosiers will look to clean up some mistakes as they have a quick turnaround facing North Alabama back in Assembly Hall on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m.
