Mackenzie Mgbako broke out of a shooting slump with 25 points to propel No. 14 Indiana to an 89-73 win over Providence in the Battle 4 Atlantis 7th place game Friday in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Trey Galloway moved into the starting lineup and delivered 18 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Hoosiers (5-2) salvaged their final game of the tournament after suffering two losses by decisive margins.
Galloway got the start with point guard Kanaan Carlyle sidelined by a lower body injury.
Malik Reneau added 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Hoosiers, who made 53.3 percent of their shots both overall and from deep as they hit 8 of 15 from 3-point range.
Mgbako rebounded from subpar efforts in Indiana’s previous two defeats against Louisville and Gonzaga, when he scored a combined 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
Jayden Pierre scored 22 points and dealt six assists to lead Providence (5-3). Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Corey Floyd Jr. added 14 points each for the Friars.
Indiana took control in the first half with a 12-1 run, which Mgbako started with a three-point play and Luke Goode finished with a 3-pointer to put the Hoosiers up 25-14.
In the final 2:48 of the first half, Mgbako scored seven points to help Indiana to a 44-34 lead at the break.
Each time the Friars made a move in the second halfa, Galloway and Mgbako had all the answers for Indiana.
Mgbako’s 3-pointer with 17:08 remaining maxed out the Hoosiers’ lead at 57-38.
Later, in a span of 42 seconds, Galloway drove for a three-point play and followed with a 3-pointer that kept Indiana in charge 69-55 with 12:08 to go.
After Providence cut the deficit to single digits on a fastbreak bucket by Eli DeLaurier, Mgbako responded with pull-up jumpers on back-to-back possessions to give Indiana a 77-65 lead.
Oumar Ballo contributed eight points and 10 rebounds, helping the Hoosiers to a 38-36 edge on the boards.
–Field Level Media
