Indiana Knocks Off Tennessee 66-62 in Exhibition Thanks to Big Second Half

Indiana got a big second half from junior forward Malik Reneau to get a big 66-62 road win against No. 12 Tennessee in an exhibition basketball game on Sunday. Reneau finished with 21 points.

Indiana and Tennessee take the court for the national anthem before their Sunday exhibition game. / Becky Rigel/Indiana Hoosiers on SI

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sure, it was just an exhibition game in late October that doesn't count in the standings, but No. 17-ranked Indiana learned a lot in its 66-62 win over No. 12 Tennessee that will pay many dividends down the road.

The Hoosiers shook off a brutal first half offensive and rode the coattails of junior forward Malik Reneau to pull off a comeback victory. He scored 10 straight points — and finished with 21 on the day — for the Hoosiers over a three-minute window late in the second half, finally getting the Hoosiers ahead. Then he and point guard Myles Rice made one big play after another to seal the deal.

It was a big win on the road against the defending SEC champions that reached the Elite Eight a year ago. That's a good way to start the season, exhibition game or no.

"We scored 41 points (in the second half) and that's more than enough,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said of the Hoosiers' offense, which was ugly early. "We were better in the second half, and we are capable of doing that. I just want to get these guys to make shots. We're capable of scoring the ball, and we're a lot better than we showed tonight.

"Malik made some plays. It's huge (closing out a game this way), because it was back and forth. When you're on the road, I don't care how you win. You've got to figure it out, and I think we did that down the stretch. I hope this pays off for us.''

The first half wasn't pretty at all for an Indiana team that wants to run more and shoot — and make — more three-pointers. It was an ugly display in the first 20 minutes, with the Hoosiers missing all 11 three-point attempts. They also had 10 turnovers, but were saved by a solid defensive effort. They were behind just 26-25 at the break.

They kept it close but couldn't get over the hump for for the first 13 minutes of the second half, until Reneau took over. He found more room in the lane, and also hit a huge three-pointer to give Indiana a 55-54 lead with 6:21 to go.

"That three was huge by Malik,'' Woodson said.

Reneau was 8-for-12 from the field and also had eight rebounds in 33 minutes. Rice, playing his first game in an Indiana uniform after transferring from Washington State, added 20 and made one big play after another down the stretch, including a big jumper as the shot clock was winding down in the final minute.

"I trust him a lot. He makes winning basketball plays and he can score the ball,'' Woodson said of Rice. "Plus, he can make free throws, and that's a bonus.''

Woodson admits that Tennessee's stingy defense made the Hoosiers look bad at times, but that was also the goal of playing this exhibition game.

"This Tennessee is going to make a lot of teams struggle to score, because they get after you,'' Woodson said. ''You can learn a lot in a game like this. I like competition like that. Our guys have been beating up on each other, but not like this.''

Reneau, the junior from Miami, Fla., who averaged 15.4 points per game a year ago, was pleased with how well the Hoosiers bounced back in the second half. Scoring 41 points is a good thing, especially for a team with a lot of new faces. They're all still trying to get comforrtable with each other.

"We pushed the pace (in the second half), got up and down,'' Reneau said. "We were able to capitalize on some of their mistakes, but I think we are still trying to get used to the offense. We had a good glimpse of it here and there, but we still have to execute on a good note so we can be better down the stretch when we start playing the Big Ten.

"This game right here gives us extreme confidence in one another. Especially playing a top-10 ranked team, or wherever they are. It just gives us so much confidence that the next guy is going to come in and compete at a high level. Its not going to be like the starters go out and the bench comes in. Everybody is ready to go out. Everybody is ready to compete and give it there all every time. ''

Sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako was the only other Hoosier in double figures, finishing with 12. They all came in the second half, making 5-of-7 shots, including two three-pointers. Indiana was 4-for-8 from deep in the second half.

Transfer Oumar Ballo (Arizona) had six and 11 rebounds, and Kanaan Carlyle had five points and four assists. The Hoosiers got only two free throws from Gabe Cupps off the bench. Luke Gooden, playing his first game at Indiana after transferring from Illinois, was 0-for-5 on the night, missing all three three-pointers.

Indiana has another exhibition game on Friday night, taking on Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The regular season stars on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at home against SIU-Edwardsville.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• LIVE BLOG: Relive all the action from Indiana's win over Tennessee in real time in Tom Brew's blog. CLICK HERE

• WATCH RICE'S LAYUP: Indiana point guard Myles Rice scored the first points of Sunday's exhibition game at Tennessee. Watch the highlight here. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA-TENNESSEE STORYLINES: New-look Indiana takes to the court for the first time as they play Tennessee in a charity exhibition game. CLICK HERE