Indiana Makes Most 3-Pointers of Mike Woodson Era in 83-66 Win Over North Alabama

Thanks to improved 3-point shooting, Indiana cruised to an 83-66 win over North Alabama on Thursday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Sophomore forward Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with a career-high 25 points.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has won all of its nonconference games against mid-major opponents, but it hasn’t always been pretty. Thursday’s 83-66 victory over North Alabama was by far the most comfortable the Hoosiers could feel in any game this season.

Perfect? No, but Indiana made several strides in areas it had previously struggled this year. Thanks to ball movement that constantly shifted the North Alabama defense, Indiana finished with a season-high 25 assists and shot 12-for-24 from beyond the arc, good for the most made 3-pointers of the Mike Woodson era.

Unlike stressful wins over Florida Gulf Coast, Army, Wright State and Morehead State on Tuesday, Indiana led from start to finish. After the Hoosiers jumped out to a 10-2 lead, North Alabama made a slight push at the end of the first half, cutting it to six, but Indiana immediately responded with 3-pointers from Anthony Leal — his first field goal since Feb. 24, 2022 — and Malik Reneau.

The Hoosiers turned on cruise control in the second half, sustaining a double-digit lead across the final 20 minutes to improve to 9-3 on the season. The win doesn’t solve all ailments, but Indiana can certainly take a sigh of relief and feel confident heading into an extended Christmas break, with its next game not until Dec. 29 against Kennesaw State at Assembly Hall.

"We didn't play particularly well in our last ballgame, the first half," Woodson said. "The second half, when we went on our run, we started playing Indiana basketball. Tonight I thought we came out ready. We consistently played well throughout the course of the game. The result was a win."

Indiana's most noticeable improvement came from 3-point range. The Hoosiers surpassed their previous season-high of six made threes at the 17:46 mark of the second half, when Trey Galloway hit nothing but net from the left wing. 

The season-high extended all the way to 12 when Kaleb Banks added one for good measure with 4:36 to go. In total, Leal, Galloway, Reneau, Gabe Cupps, Anthony Walker, Mackenzie Mgbako and Banks all contributed to the 3-point shooting barrage, and three Hoosiers hit at least two.

Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) holds up three fingers after making a three-pointer during the first half of the Indiana versus North Alabama men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, December 21, 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Reneau turned in a career night, scoring 25 points, the most of his young career. The 6-foot-9 sophomore has always been known for crafty moves in the paint, but Thursday’s game showcased Reneau’s outside game more than ever before. He finished the night hitting all four of his 3-point attempts.

Reneau said he’s been working on his 3-point shot with Calbert Cheaney, Indiana’s all-time leading scorer and current director of player development. He improved to 7-for-15 — or 46.7% — from 3-point range on the season. If that can continue, it adds another layer to an Indiana offense working to reach its potential.

"Just understanding how [Cheaney] played the game, how he was able to work around the court, be able to get his shot wherever he wanted on the court," Reneau said. "Just getting reps up, man, being confident when you go out there, not being scared to shoot the ball."

Behind Reneau, it was a well-balanced effort for the Hoosiers. Mgbako scored 12 points, Walker added 11 and Galloway and Ware each scored eight.

Mgbako and Galloway entered the game shooting just 21.1% and 23.3% from 3-point range this season, but simply seeing the ball go through the net at a higher rate Thursday was surely a welcomed feeling. Without senior point guard Xavier Johnson for a fifth consecutive night, Indiana needs Galloway and Mgbako to be consistent threats from the outside if it hopes to defeat superior opponents.

Though it’s not a win Indiana will showcase to the NCAA Tournament committee for the next two months — North Alabama entered the game ranked No. 223 on KenPom — it could help boost the Hoosiers' confidence, especially when it comes to outside shooting.

Heading into an extended break, Reneau agrees.

"That brings a lot of planning now that I can space the floor out, be able to knock one down or be able to shoot the ball and make a couple," Reneau said. "Teams got to defend for that now. It just brings so much confidence to myself coming in after this break, coming into the Big Ten play."

Related stories on Indiana-North Alabama

• WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media following the Hoosiers' win over North Alabama. Here's the video, and the full printed transcript from his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Relive all the play-by-play from the game live from press row in Jack Ankony's blog. He shares updates, highlights and thoughts on Thursday's game between Indiana and North Alabama. CLICK HERE
• POINT SPREAD: Indiana keeps winning games against the mid-major opponents on their schedule, but just barely. They get another shot on Thursday night against North Alabama. Here's the latest on the point spread, with a good history against the number for both teams. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA 2023-24 SCHEDULE: Here is the complete Indiana basketball schedule for the 2023-24, with dates, opponents, gametimes, TV information and more, plus links to stories from the games already played so far CLICK HERE