Ten minutes had ticked off the clock as Indiana found itself on an 18-4 run over eight minutes of play in the first half Saturday at Washington. Indiana guard Myles Rice drove down the court and marked his return to Washington with a 3-pointer directly following a wide open layup, handing the Hoosiers the 24-9 lead.
Indiana forward Malik Reneau skipped and jogged down the court to the Hoosiers’ bench pointing to Rice with a wide smile, as the Huskies called their first timeout of the game.
The two continued to combine for 22 of the Hoosiers’ 44 first half points, shooting a combined 9-for-11 from the field — Reneau playing a perfect half in his first game back from an illness.
But the wide smiles did not end there for the cream and crimson.
Ten minutes were ticked off the scoreboard in the second half, as the Huskies had to call yet another timeout — this time at the hands of an 6-0 run by Luke Goode.
It was then the 12 second half points by Goode that guided Indiana to its third straight win, defeating Washington in Seattle, 78-62 on Saturday night.
In just two minutes of play, Goode had set the tone for the remainder of the Hoosiers’ second half of play, taking IU on an 8-0 run by himself.
Goode finished the night with 18 points, shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, which ties his most 3-pointers made this season alongside his 18-point showing against Sam Houston State on Dec. 3.
It wasn’t Goode's 8-0 run that put this one away just yet for the Hoosiers, however. But it was still Goode with 99 seconds remaining who drained the dagger from deep, extending Indiana’s lead to 16 and marking his fifth straight game finishing in double digits.
In an unexpected turn of events just three days ago, Reneau had not been listed on Indiana’s availability report and was expected to play in the Hoosiers’ win over Penn State. Reneau would not step onto the court on Wednesday night, however, which head coach Mike Woodson addressed to be due to having to go to the emergency room following shootaround.
Reneau was once again not listed on Saturday’s availability report, giving all signs that he would be good to go against the Huskies. It was later announced by Don Fischer that the junior had suffered an allergic re
action on Wednesday afternoon, and was in all signs healthy heading into Saturday night’s matchup.
Reneau’s health proved to be in no doubt, as the forward marked his return with his best game of the season, concluding the night with a season-high 22 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field, taking hold of six rebounds, and two assists.
And it was Reneau who took control of the first half of play, guiding the Hoosiers to their 44-30 lead with a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance. It wasn’t until nine minutes remaining in the game that the junior would miss a shot, which marked 17 straight made buckets for Reneau — the highest mark in the program in at least 25 years.
Goode and Reneau combined for 40 of Indiana’s 78 total points in the 16-point win over the Huskies. The double digit victory was the Hoosiers' largest on the road in the Big Ten since IU’s 18-point win over Illinois on March 7, 2019.
March has officially arrived. And in no doubt is Indiana playing its best basketball at just the right time.
The Hoosiers have found themselves on the better side of the bubble and officially clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament with the win.
IU will hope to extend its winning streak to four as the west coast slate continues. The Hoosiers (18-11, 9-9) will head down to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks (21-8, 10-8) on Tuesday, in hopes of maintaining its momentum as the month of March gets into full swing.
