Quick thoughts on a 74-65 win over Chattanooga:

How it happened

It was another poor defensive performance from Indiana in the first half against Chattanooga. The Hoosiers were content to trade baskets with the Mocs for most of the first 20 minutes, allowing 38 points (1.16 points per possession). Trey Bonham (nine points) and Honor Huff (eight points) gave Indiana problems off the dribble, and the Mocs were 6 for 13 from 3, a rate of 46.2 percent. Mackenzie Mgbako, continuing his defensive woes, led the Hoosiers with nine first-half points, while Kanaan Carlyle added eight points in 15 minutes after coming off the bench. Despite offering little defensive resistance, Indiana went into the locker room with a 41-38 lead.

The Hoosiers had more energy early in the second half and extended the lead to 51-42 after a layup by Oumar Ballo at 16:49. However, the Mocs converted a 3-point play from Bash Wieland and got a 3-pointer from Huff to cut the lead to 53-48 at the U16 media timeout. Indiana extended its lead to 13 on a dunk by Malik Reneau with 12:37 left, but the Mocs continued to hang on. Chattanooga cut the lead to five again at 64-59 thanks to another three-pointer from Huff, his sixth of the game. After Trey Galloway drained two free throws to end a six-plus minute scoring drought for the Hoosiers, Wieland cut IU’s lead to four with a hard bank shot with 3:09 left. Mgbako responded with a layup on the next possession to make it 67-61 with 2:50 left. The Mocs cut it to four with 1:51 left with two free throws from Frank Champion. However, Indiana scored on its next three possessions, extending the lead to eight and putting the game out of reach for its ninth win before an eight-day Christmas break.

Outstanding artist

Reneau led Indiana with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in 27 minutes. The Hoosiers were +18 when he was on the floor.

Statistics that stand out

The Hoosiers were better defensively in the second half, limiting the Mocs to 33.3 percent shooting and 0.794 points per possession.

Final IU individual stats

Final pace-free statistics

Call for a meeting after the game

Submitted to: Chattanooga Mocs