Sometimes, it’s just your night. You’re in a zone where the basket looks three times as big, and everything falls.
That’s exactly what Wednesday night was like for Mackenzie Mgbako, who began his sophomore season with a bang.
Mgbako, who averaged 12.2 points per game last season, finished with a career-high 31 points, surpassing his previous high of 24, leading 17th-ranked Indiana to an 80-61 victory over SIU-Edwardsville last night. Last year’s Big Ten co-Freshman of the Year made 4-of-his-5 three-point attempts, finishing 13-of-17 from the field in his 31 minutes on the floor.
“I thought tonight was one of the best games he's had since he's been here,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “He's still learning.”
Mgbako got hot early and never looked back, scoring 18 first-half points, including an impressive personal 6-0 run after the Cougars tied the game at 27 late in the first half. The run ultimately sparked a 15-3 Hoosier run to close the first half and played a prominent role in separating the two teams the rest of the way.
“I was just going with what the team gave me,” Mgbako said postgame. “It was like moving the ball, finding the right shots, and just taking them.”
The 31-point outburst from Mgbako earned him praise from one of the leaders on the team, Trey Galloway, who said postgame that a performance like last night’s was far from unexpected. Mgbako’s hard work during the offseason and fall practices didn’t go unnoticed by teammates and coaches alike.
“It's great to see,” Galloway said. “People don't see it, but we all see. He puts in the work. He's very efficient in his work. He's a guy that can score for us, and we know that. We're going to need him to do it a lot of times.”
There are a lot of playmakers on the Indiana roster this season and there a plethora of players that have the potential to score at the same rate as Mgbako did last night, but it was important for Galloway to note that Mgbako almost certainly won’t be the only Hoosier to breakthrough.
“It's going to be a lot of guys' nights throughout the season that can get out and score,” Galloway said “Tonight was Mackenzie's night and he played really well for us.”
It wasn’t only the scoring that made it a memorable night for Mgbako. It was his defense that guided him to an offensive explosion. The sophomore had a team-high 9 rebounds, which allowed him to start the charge into the transition game.
“A big thing is defense creating offense,” Mgbako said. “Being able to know the reads on the defensive side, that leads to offense.”
At times last season, Mgbako was seen as a defensive liability for Indiana, which left Woodson no choice but to keep him off the floor in critical situations. Last night was very different for Mgbako. He was engaged on the defensive end and had a new intensity to him. Although 28 regular season games are still to be played, an excellent start for Mgbako on both ends of the floor is a welcome sign for Indiana.
Despite all of this, Woodson believes there’s still room for improvement in the Gladstone, New Jersey native's game.
“He was pretty solid defensively,” Woodson said. “But he's still learning.”
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