BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana hosted Minnesota on Friday night inside of Assembly Hall. In search of a bounce back win following an ugly loss on the road versus Rutgers, Indiana controlled the game from the get-go, beating Minnesota 74-62.
Here's how it happened on a cold and wintery evening in Bloomington.
Mackenzie Mgbako flourishes in win
Once Big Ten play resumed following the turn of the new year, Mackenzie Mgbako struggled to find his groove. Back-to-back single-digit performances against Nebraska and Ohio State brought the freshman below the 10 points per game mark. Mgbako's 13-point performance back home in New Jersey against Rutgers was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing game for Indiana.
Against Minnesota, the former five-star recruit looked the part. Mgbako looked like the best player on the floor for stretches of the Hoosiers' win over the Gophers. Mgbako finished with a career-high 19 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. From the jump, Mgbako was relentless in his attacking of the rim. Throughout the game, Mgbako played smooth and under control on the offensive end of the floor, culminating in one of his best performances as a Hoosier.
Indiana plays energized
Friday night was the first game since Dec. 1 when Indiana took on Maryland that Assembly Hall had a dedicated student section. The students were loud and energetic all evening long. The energy provided by the crowd helped propel the Hoosiers to a quick, strong start to the ball game. It took Indiana just over 6 minutes for Indiana to build a double-digit lead over Minnesota. The energy in the building faded slightly as the first half wore on however. Minnesota cut Indiana's lead to as low as five points in the latter stages of the first period of play.
The second half began almost exactly how the first half did, as the Hoosiers came out full of energy. Indiana won the first 7 minutes of the second half 19-8, extending the lead to as high as 21 points. Indiana led by double figures the rest of the way thanks to such a strong and energy-filled start to the second half.
Cupps starts over Johnson
Freshman Gabe Cupps got the start for Indiana -- his eighth of the season -- in place of sixth-year senior Xavier Johnson. Cupps starting the game stems from Johnson's ejection in the Hoosiers' loss to the Scarlet Knights earlier in the week.
Cupps didn't stuff the stat sheet for Indiana, he typically doesn't, but as per usual the energy he brought to the game was infectious on both ends of the floor. The freshman failed to score in the game, missing all five of his field goal attempts, but that doesn't matter. Indiana has plenty of guys who are more than capable of putting the ball in the basket in the starting lineup. Cupps got the team into its offense and only turned the ball over once in his 30 minutes. He played his role perfectly against Minnesota, just as he has done pretty much all season long.
Up next for the Hoosiers, Indiana welcomes No. 1 Purdue to Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Tip-off is slated for 7:00pm ET on Peacock.
Final Box Score
–––––
Like this content? Join the conversation on TheHoosier.com's premium message boards and subscribe today!
– Follow TheHoosier on Twitter and Facebook!
– Subscribe to TheHoosier on YouTube for more content
– TheHoosier's Premium Football Board and Premium Hoops Board
