IU basketball: Indiana 78 Michigan 75 — Three keys, highlights, final stats

ANN ARBOR — Indiana defeated Michigan 78-75 at Crisler Center on Tuesday evening. The win was the Hoosiers’ fourth straight over the Wolverines.

IU trailed 39-37 at halftime. They were led in the game by Malik Reneau with 15 points. Kel’el Ware added 13 and Mackenzie Mgbako chipped in 11.

The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below. See also: Woodson, Reneau and Gunn postgame.

Indiana (7-1, 2-0) will travel to Atlanta to face Auburn on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Hoosiers dominate in the paint. Indiana’s size and skill inside was the difference. And that’s saying something against a Michigan team with legit Big Ten size. Led by Malik Reneau and Kel’el Ware, IU outscored Michigan 52-28 in the paint. Reneau scored 11 points in the last 12:41 of the game, while Ware made bucket in the final minute to give the Hoosiers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. IU also limited Michigan to eight offensive rebounds.

2. 3-point defense on point again. For a third straight game, IU defended the three-point line at a high level. The Hoosiers held a good perimeter shooting Michigan team to 4-of-17 from beyond the arc including just 1-of-7 in the second half. Over the last two-and-a-half games, IU’s opponents have made just 7-of-42 from long range. IU also forced 14 Michigan turnovers and the Wolverines had just eight assists.

3. C.J. Gunn provides a spark. Sophomore guard C.J. Gunn came off the bench and recorded his first career game with multiple threes made. In fact, his two threes matched his career total. Gunn was just 2-of-28 from deep coming into the game but made 2-of-3 on this night. Perhaps more important, he delivered four steals and a block on the defensive end. It was the third time in five games Gunn has had three or more steals, and he hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in any of those contests. With Gunn delivering on both ends, Mike Woodson left him in the game down the stretch.

HIGHLIGHTS