At the Buzzer: Indiana 74, Wisconsin 70
Quick thoughts on a 74-70 win against Wisconsin:
How it happened
Indiana’s start Tuesday night against Wisconsin at Assembly Hall was terrific. The Hoosiers played suffocating defense and shared the ball offensively early, building a 15-point lead. Kel’el Ware was a big part of the start. Ware’s shot-blocking presence was a deterrent at the rim and he was red-hot offensively in the first 20 minutes. With Malik Reneau benched for most of the half due to two fouls, Ware carried the offensive load. He was 9-for-10 from the field for 20 points to go along with seven rebounds in 18 minutes. But Wisconsin found its footing offensively late in the half. After Indiana led 32-17, the Badgers closed the half on a 16-6 run to trail by just five at intermission. The Hoosiers finished the first half scoring 1.23 points per possession and were 4-for-9 on 3s and 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
Both teams came out firing offensively after intermission, combining for 24 points in the first 5:08 of second half action. Indiana led 50-45 at the under-16 media timeout. The Badgers got within two at 52-50 on a Chucky Hepburn 3-pointer, but the Hoosiers responded with a bucket by Trey Galloway to make it 54-50 at the under-12 media time-out. The game had close to a 20-minute delay at the 10:06 mark as the fire alarm went off in Assembly Hall and the building was evacuated.
After play resumed, Wisconsin took its first lead at 56-54 on a Tyler Wahl layup. By the under-eight media timeout, the Badgers led 61-58 with 7:03 to play. Mackenzie Mgbako tied the game at 63 with a 3-pointer at the 5:35 mark. A Trey Galloway lob to Kel’el Ware gave IU a 67-65 advantage with 3:13 to play ahead of the final media timeout. After Wahl gave Wisconsin a 70-68 lead with 2:06 left, a Galloway runner tied it at 70 with a runner with 1:47 remaining. IU got a stop on Wisconsin’s next possession and called timeout with 1:07 left. Reneau gave IU the lead with 55.5 seconds left but fouled out with 48.6 seconds left. AJ Storr’s 3-pointer on the next possession missed and went out of bounds, giving IU possession with 35.1 seconds to go. Mgbako was fouled by Wisconsin with 25.1 seconds left and made both free throws to make it 74-70 IU, which was the final score.
Standout performers
Ware was unstoppable, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in 38 minutes. Galloway shot 3-for-10 from the field but finished with 12 assists in 36 minutes.
Statistics that stand out
It was a strong offensive performance for Indiana. The Hoosiers shot 61.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent on 3s and scored 1.18 points per possession. The Hoosiers also held Wisconsin scoreless in the final 2:06.
Final IU individual statistics
Final tempo-free statistics
Assembly Call postgame show
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Wisconsin Badgers