BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Mackenzie Mgbako scored 19 of his career-high 31 points in the first half Wednesday and Malik Reneau added 15 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 17 Indiana past SIU Edwardsville 80-61 in Wednesday’s season opener.
Mgbako made 8 of his first 10 shots and finished 13 of 17 from the field while going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, making his only free throw attempt and grabbing nine rebounds.
The Cougars (1-1) were led by Ray’Sean Taylor with 17 points and Arnas Sakenis, who had eight points and nine rebounds.
Indiana honored former USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim before the game with a moment of silence. The 43-year-old Abdur-Rahim died in late October from complications while he was undergoing a procedure at a Tampa-area hospital.
The Hoosiers also honored SIUE forward Kyle Thomas, the son of the late Daryl Thomas, before tip-off. Daryl Thomas played on Indiana’s 1986-87 national championship team.
Takeaways
SIUE: After posting their first back-to-back winning seasons since moving to Division I, the Cougars played better than expected for 15 minutes. Then things went awry quickly. The good news: Better days are ahead for coach Brian Barone’s program.
Indiana: The new-look Hoosiers certainly showed some promising things in the first game that counts. Three of the six transfers started and four played key roles. But after a somewhat ragged performance, coach Mike Woodson needs to get these players in sync fast.
Key moment
After SIUE scored seven straight points to tie the score at 27 late in the first half, Mgbako answered with a 3-pointer, a steal and a three-point play. His flurry fueled a 15-3 run to close the first half, giving the Hoosiers a 42-30 lead.
Key stat
The Hoosiers drew plenty of fouls and improved significantly on last season’s 66.4% free throw percentage by going 14 of 17. Indiana also outscored SIUE 23-14 off turnovers.
Up next
The Cougars face another daunting challenge Friday when they visit Illinois while the Hoosiers host Eastern Illinois on Sunday.
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