In a charity scrimmage that benefited the John McLendon Foundation, Indiana defeated Tennessee 66-62, giving the 17th ranked Hoosiers not only a win against the 12th ranked Vols, but valuable experience before the regular season starts on November 6th.

This was a close one throughout, with no team being ahead by more than six during the duration of the contest, something that, because the game didn’t count, was very encouraging to see, as no team gave up even with it being an exhibition.

It wasn’t necessarily the best showing from either team early on, but the defense shined throughout, both teams playing great on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the first half.

Things got intense late, as it was a nail-biting end to the game, with Indiana needing to make some free throws and get a steal to win this contest.

Malik Reneau and Myles Rice led the way for the Hoosiers, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively, both allowing for the Hoosiers to get this road win.

Even with it being an exhibition, this one was fun to watch and it’s always impressive to win against a top team on the road. With that being said, here’s how it happened:

As expected, the first half of this one was sloppy, but it may have even been more disorganized than anticipated, the two teams combining for 19 turnovers in the first period.

The Hoosier committed 10 of those turnovers, three of those being shot clock violations, while Malik Reneau, Canaan Carlyle and Oumar Ballo each had two apiece, all tied for the lead at the half.

Tennessee’s nine turnovers weren’t much better, as the Vols were similarly careless with the basketball, while also not shooting the ball great, going 8-for-33 from the field and 3-for-20 from three.

Similarly, IU did not shoot the ball well, going 11-for-33 from the field and 0-for-11 from three, continuing the Hoosiers’ woes from beyond the arc.

Technical fouls also contributed to the sloppiness of the first half, with Mackenzie Mgbako and Kanaan Carlyle both getting called for techs, Carlyle’s being a double tech with Tennessee’s Zakai Ziegler.

All in all, this was not a great half for either side and, while Myles Rice looked impressive with 10 points at the break, neither team was satisfied with the 26-25 Tennessee score at halftime.

Play really intensified in the second half,as Indiana and Tennessee both improved after the half, the Hoosiers particularly finding form from three point range.

It took until the second period for IU to make a three, but it went 4-for-8 from deep to finish up at 4-for-19, nothing special, but much improved compared to the first half. Tennessee also improved from three, but not as decisively as Indiana, going 5-for-15 in the second half to finish 8-for-35 overall.

Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako really got it going for IU in the second half, with the two forwards scoring 14 and 12 points respectively. Mgbako, specifically, made his mark with two made threes in the second half.

Indiana went on a 10-0 run to open up its biggest lead at six late in the game, but Tennessee made it close with just a few minutes remaining, making it a one possession game in the final minute and forcing IU to make its free throws to win the game.

Myles Rice may have only made 2 of 4 from the charity stripe, but UT missed a three and turned it over, allowing Indiana to escape Knoxville with the victory in this charity exhibition.

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