BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Nothing has come easy for Indiana basketball in the first two months of the season, and it was no different in the Hoosiers' 74-65 victory over Chattanooga in a Saturday matinee at Assembly Hall.
Just as Malik Reneau's and-one poster dunk to push the lead to a baker's dozen with 12:37 left was going to send fans to the exits early, the Hoosiers went on a field goal drought of nearly ten minutes, allowing the Mocs to stay within striking distance.
"That's two games in a row we've had stretches like that," Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. "I don't know if guys are just looking over their shoulders based on the Nebraska game. We didn't play bad in Nebraska. Just that last six-minute mark couldn't make shots."
Most teams find themselves trailing after a drought that long, but Indiana's defense remained stout throughout, never allowing the Mocs to get within one possession.
When Mackenzie Mgbako eventually broke the seal with a driving layup at the 2:50 mark, Chattanooga had only mustered up 13 points in ten minutes, missing a golden opportunity to capitalize on a dreadful stretch of play from the home team.
"Today we definitely didn't show what he did for the last week of practice, because I feel like we had great practices this week," Reneau said. "Still got to put the practices into the game and execute how we execute in practice and everything will be smooth sailing."
Inconsistency has been consistent on both ends through a dozen games, but Indiana goes from looking lost defensively to start games to suffocating in the second half.
"I'm trying to get us there on a 40-minute basis every night they step out on the floor," Woodson said. "We're not there yet. Nowhere near it."
After scoring 38 points in the opening half on 48.3 percent from the field, Chattanooga was held to 27 second-half points on Saturday, shooting 10-of-30 from the field in the game's final 20 minutes.
"I mean, that's been a mystery," a bewildered Woodson said. "We have had games where we have jumped on teams and we've had games where we started slow. So I got to find an even ground somewhere where they come out and start out well and sustain it and the bench comes in and sustains it."
As a stretch of 18-straight conference games looms, opponents get more challenging, shrinking the margin for error in what should be close games throughout. Reneau, who had three of the team's four steals, is well aware that long stretches without a basket are unsurvivable if not for a focused defensive effort.
"[Defense] is definitely important, especially coming down in this Big 10 stretch we're about to have," Reneau said. "If we're not scoring the ball at a good rate, then we got to be able to stop people and get stops down the stretch when it comes down to these games."
Indiana has another eight days between games, allowing players and coaches alike to spend a few days with their families for Christmas before playing Winthrop in its final non-conference game. The time off will allow everybody, including Reneau, time to hit the reset button before the real season begins.
"We definitely got to improve on a lot of things coming up, but this break will definitely give us a chance to clear everybody's minds, and, like I said, get back to it and come back with a spark when we come back from that break."
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