Behind 27 points from Indiana sophomore center Kel’el Ware, Indiana men’s basketball defeated Wisconsin 74-70 Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
After a six-game absence due to an elbow injury, Indiana sixth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson returned to the floor for the Hoosiers. Johnson finished the game with 5 points and five turnovers in 15 minutes of action.
Indiana sophomore center Kel’el Ware put Indiana on his back in the first period, tallying 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, grabbing seven boards and swatting three shots. Ware dominated inside but showed off the shooting stroke as well, draining a triple and a midrange jumper.
The Badgers went on a 10-2 run to close out the period, shrinking Indiana’s once comfortable double-digit lead to 5 points. Foul trouble — an area that has plagued sophomore forward Malik Reneau throughout his Hoosier career — persisted Tuesday night.
Reneau picked up his second foul with just under 12 minutes left in the half and was sent to the bench for the remainder of the period. Wisconsin gradually chipped into the deficit in the latter portion of the half and a floater from Badger junior guard Max Klesmit in the final second brought the score to 38-33 in Indiana’s favor at the break.
Wisconsin carried its momentum into the second period. After making three of their 10 first-half triples, the Badgers matched that output roughly six minutes into the second half. A 3-pointer from Wisconsin junior guard Chucky Hepburn cut the lead to 2 with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game.
With the game tied at 54 apiece with just over 10 minutes left, the continuing sounding of the arena’s fire alarms forced fans to evacuate and sent both teams to their respective locker rooms. After security cleared the situation, Indiana and Wisconsin returned from the brief intermission and resumed play after a five-minute warmup.
RelatedBREAKING: Assembly Hall evacuated due to fire alarm in Indiana men’s basketball game vs. WisconsinSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall was evacuated due to a fire alarm with 10:06 remaining in the second half of the Indiana men’s basketball’s game against Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
The Hoosiers and Badgers traded blows for the remainder of the contest. In a slightly slower offensive half from Ware, freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako and Reneau stepped up. Mgbako drained a massive triple to knot the game at 63 with just over five minutes left, but shortly thereafter, Reneau received his fourth foul and was sent to the bench.
Wisconsin sophomore guard AJ Storr knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 68 with just under three minutes remaining, and Wahl gave the Badgers a brief lead before Indiana senior guard Trey Galloway’s driving floater again pulled the score even.
After giving Indiana a 72-70 lead with just under a minute left, Reneau fouled out on the other end. Wisconsin couldn’t overcome the deficit, and Mgbako, who finished with 14 points, converted a pair of free throws to seal the Hoosiers’ victory.
Indiana moved to 15-13 and 7-10 in Big Ten play with the win. Next, the Hoosiers travels to take on Maryland Sunday afternoon in College Park. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
