Another poor performance in defeat

No. 15 IU Basketball lost to No. 4 Gonzaga 89-73 in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday afternoon.

Gonzaga went on a 16-0 run late in the first half to take a 49-31 lead, and the Hoosiers (4-2) never cut the lead to less than 15 points in the second half.

Takeaways:IU has something to think about after another tough loss

Tom Crean on the Hoosiers’ Gonzaga loss:“There was never any urgency for me.”

Here are the game reviews:

RESOLUTIONS

∎ Myles Rice: 2/10

Mike Woodson seemed unhappy with Rice’s play right after the game ended. He got his starting point guard off the floor in less than two minutes and allowed him to play just eight minutes in the first half. Rice was expected to be one of IU’s most dynamic players, but he went scoreless in the first half for the second straight game and didn’t register a single assist until 14:10 left. He simply hung his head as he went along 3:19 made an unnecessary reach-in foul. This was in stark contrast to the production Gonzaga received from its starting point guard Ryan Nembhard, who posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 assists. It was the fifth time in seven games that he recorded double-digit assists.

∎ Canaan Carlyle: 4/10

He was caught on camera trying to cheer for IU during an early timeout while the officials were clearing an apparent foul situation. It gave the Hoosiers a little spark, but Carlyle remains too insignificant on offense. The defining image of the game for the Stanford transfer was him advancing to the 3-point line for an open play after halftime and missing badly after IU strung together rare back-to-back stops.

∎ Mackenzie Mgbako: 2/10

Mgabko confused himself with Graham Ike early in the match and threw an elbow to the back of his head. He also had a shouting match with Gonzaga players later in the game, but those were his most notable moments. He was pulled off the floor for a defensive error in the second half and sat for more than five minutes at IU, where he desperately needed an outside shot. Thanks to an offensive flurry in the final moments, long after the game had already been decided, he reached double figures with 13 points.

∎ Malik Reneau: 3/10

Reneau sat out most of the first half after picking up two fouls in less than five minutes. For a third-year player with more than 40 career starts under his belt, this is all too common. The officials gave a short whistle, but he can no longer withdraw from the games. He didn’t make a significant contribution in the second half.

∎ Oumar Ballo: 4/10

Ballo was IU’s only source of consistent offense – he scored a game-high 25 points – and showed a confidence in the low post and finesse at the rim that was missing earlier this season. With seven minutes left in the first half, he had already scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, while the rest of the team had 14 points on 3-of-12 shooting. So why the low score? The rest of Ballo’s game wasn’t quite as impressive. In the first half, Gonzaga scored 36 game points, outscored the Hoosiers 26-13 and had 17 second-chance points. Ballo was recruited to be a rim protector like Kel’el Ware, but he hasn’t proven he can do that against stronger competition.

RESERVES

∎ Trey Galloway: 6/10

Galloway had some nice moments and led the team with six assists. He played a season-high 29 minutes and IU needs him at 100%. The hope is that he finds his jump shot to match his improved game skills.

∎ Luke Goode: 3/10

Goode came off the bench and buried his first 3-point attempt as part of a 15-3 run, but that didn’t help him get into a rhythm. His season slump continues to be a problem for an IU team that needs points off the bench and more outside shooting. The Hoosiers finished the game as a team going 4 of 18 from 3-point range.

∎ Bryson Tucker: 3/10

Another decent effort from the true freshman, but he didn’t play many minutes and only attempted three shots.

∎ Langdon Hatton: 8/10

Hatton got increased minutes as Reneau and Ballo got into foul trouble. He got to the free throw line three times in the first half and had a block and a steal. He scored as many points (six) on Thursday as he had in the first five games combined. He was active on both ends of the floor.

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Another poor performance in defeat

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