Indiana traveled to Washington on Saturday night for the first of two games out on the west coast this week.
Behind a strong first half performance and another efficient game from Malik Reneau, the Hoosier took care of business against the Huskies in Seattle, winning 78-62. With the win, Indiana improves to 18-11 overall and 9-9 in Big Ten play this season.
Here's how it happened out in the Pacific Northwest
INDIANA TAKES CONTROL EARLY
After Washington scored the first points of the game on a Makai Mason 3-pointer on Saturday night, Indiana proceeded to take control of the game.
Following Mason's long ball to get the scoring started, the Hoosiers went on a 32-13 run over the next 11 minutes of the game. That dominant stretch included a 12-point run in which Indiana took its first double-figure lead of the game at the 13:35 mark on a Malik Reneau free throw.
Washington managed to pull within as close as eight points in the latter stages of the first half, however Indiana was able to extend its lead back to 14 points by the time the first half buzzer sounded.
In the opening stanza, the Hoosiers shot 51.5% from the field and 5-of-13 (38.5%) from 3-point range. Myles Rice and Luke Goode each hit a pair of triples in the first half, helping Indiana's offense out to a hot start.
On the defensive end of the floor, Indiana held Washington to 37.9% from the floor and 4-of-13 (30.8%) shooting from 3-point range. The Huskies also turned the ball over seven time, including four times over the course of the first four minutes of the game.
Indiana's strong first half performance set the stage for the Hoosiers to put the game away in the second half.
RENEAU CONTINUES RECENT BRILLIANCE
On Saturday night in Seattle, Malik Reneau continued his recent dominance. Dating back to Indiana's loss to UCLA on Feb. 14, Reneau has been perfect over his last couple of appearances for Indiana.
Reneau connected on his final four shot attempts in that loss for the Hoosiers against the Bruins. He then proceeded to go 7-for-7 for 15 points in a ranked win over rival Purdue last Sunday.
After missing Indiana's Wednesday night win over Penn State, Reneau continued his perfect stretch of play against Washington. On his way to a 14 point first half, the junior forward converted on each of his first six field goal attempts—adding a pair of free throws as well.
Reneau's perfect run came to a close early in the first half, as he missed his first two field goal attempts of the second half. He scored eight points in 14 minutes in the second half.
All told, Reneau ended the night with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field.
INDIANA KEEPS WASHINGTON AT ARM'S LENGTH IN SECOND HALF
The second half got off to a rocky start for Indiana, as Washington scored the first seven points of the second half to pull within seven points. The Hoosiers responded with seven straight of their own to push their lead back to 14 points.
Throughout the second half, Indiana kept Washington at arm's length, never allowing the Huskies to get all the way back in the game. However, the Hoosiers never truly put away the Huskies either.
Indiana's lead got as high as 21 points at the 6:34 mark of the second half, but Washington still managed to shrink the Hoosiers' lead to as few as 11 points around the 3:15 mark of the second half.
It was Luke Goode that led the charge for Indiana throughout the second half, scoring 12 points and going 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
Ultimately, coming out of Seattle with a 16-point win, the Hoosiers took care of business on Saturday night against the Huskies.
FINAL STATS
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