Malik Reneau Returns in Big Way, Scores 22 to Lead Indiana Past Washington, 78-62

SEATTLE, Wash. — There is a calm demeanor to Malik Reneau on the outside, but there's also a fire that rages inside Indiana's junior forward.

After missing Wednesday night's game against Penn State because of an allergic reaction that required a quick ride to the emergency room in Dr. Larry Rink's car as the game tipped, Reneau was ready to explode Saturday.

He did just that, scoring 22 points and making all six of his first-half shots in the Hoosiers 78-62 win over Washington. It was a great start to their two-game West Coast trip, and evened their record in the Big Ten at 9-9. They are 18-11 overall, and inching closer to an NCAA Tournament bid, something that seemed impossible three weeks ago.

Reneau gave them a much-needed shot in the arm.

“I thought Reneau, he played like an all-league guy tonight,'' Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said. "I thought he was tremendous and he looked good. We knew how good of a shooter he was coming in.”

Reneau didn't start, and he and Oumar Ballo rotated at the center position for almost all of the game. Indiana was already up 14-5 when Reneau came in at the 14:19 mark, and he went straight to work. He made eight of Indiana's next 13 points and pushed them ahead by 16 points. They led 44-30 at the half, and Reneau had 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson said he was concerned about whether Reneau could make the West Coast trip on Thursday with the rest of the team. But he responded well to treatment for the reaction and Rink told Woodson he would be fine. They all flew out together on Thursday and had a good practice on Friday in Seattle.

it showed. They were ready to go on Saturday, even while strutting new black jerseys from Adidas for the first time all year.

"It's March now, so it means more for everybody that's playing around the country, especially teams that are battling to get in the tournament,'' Indiana guard Luke Goode said. "They need to win games, and our urgency has definitely picked up at the right time. It shows out there. Everyone's playing for each other and rallying around coach (Woodson) and coming together for a greater purpose.

"Malik is great, one of the better bigs in the conference, When you miss him against Penn State, it's good to have him on this two-game trip. He played his butt off tonight.''

Reneau added 10 points in the second half, and the Hoosiers built their lead to 21 at one point. Washington got no closer than 11, and Reneau helped close it out with a basket and a couple of big defensive stops.

He and Ballo were big on the defensive end, too. Washington forward Great Osobor, the Huskies' leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, never made a field goal all night and finished with just four points and four rebounds,.

Indiana had four players in double figures. Goode tied a season high with five three-pointers and had 18 points. Mackenzie Mgbako and Myles Rice had 10 each. Trey Galloway added eight points, seven assists and just one turnover.

Fifth-year guard Anthony Leal might have had the most interesting stat line of the night. He played 34 minutes and had a plus-26 plus/minus number. He didn't score a single point — he only took one shot — but he had three steals, two blocks, four assists and four rebounds.

"Shoutout to Anthony Leal, man. He was a plus-26 without scoring a point,'' Goode said. "I don't know when the last time that was done in Indiana history. He's a damn good player and we're all rallying around each other right now.''

The Hoosiers have been a different team since the school announced that Woodson would not be returning on Feb. 7. They lost a tight game to No. 24 Michigan the next day, but they've won four of five since then, including road wins at No. 11 Michigan State and Washington, and a big home win over archrival Purdue.

They're right back in the postseason conversation now. Playing loose and confident will do that.

“Winning does that,'' Woodson said. "I could go back to all the games, the Northwestern game, the Maryland game, the Purdue game there, the UCLA game at home. I mean, those are four or five games, if you win those games, we’re not having this conversation because these guys are learning how to win close games.

"I take a lot of pride as a coach in trying to get them over the hump. So I take it in terms of not getting it done in those games, but we are playing better and I’ve been saying that. We’ve been playing much, much better basketball, and these last three games, these guys have come and showed up. You can call it that [playing less stressed]. I call it when you win, it eases the mind. You do things that you think you’re accustomed to doing, and when you lose, you’re looking over your shoulders. You’re worried about what people are saying. All the stuff that really don’t matter. I mean, we need right now to support these players, man, because they are playing hard. They are trying to win basketball games. So that’s how I look at it.”

Indiana has two regular season games remaining, Tuesday night at Oregon — a 21-8 team that's spend much of the year in the Associated Press top-25 — and the home finale next Saturday against Ohio State. The Hoosiers are 18-11 now and could still use a win — or two — to appease the selection committe.

But at least they are in the conversation now. They are winning — which means they are also having fun.

"When you lose close games, it’s not fun. We played well enough to win those games and we didn’t win,'' Woodson said. "That’s why we’re in the predicament we’re in, but you go back and get those four or five games, you’re sitting at the top with everybody else trying to figure out who’s going to win the Big Ten title.”

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