IU basketball: Northwestern 79 Indiana 70 — Three keys, highlights, final stats

EVANSTON, Ill. — Indiana lost to Northwestern on Wednesday evening at Welsh Ryan Arena by a final score of 79-70.

Indiana led 31-25 at halftime. The Hoosiers were led in the game by Mackenzie Mgbako with 20 points. Oumar Ballo added 15, and Luke Goode had 14.

The three keys to the game, final stats and highlights are below.

For Mike Woodson and Mackenzie Mgbako postgame, GO HERE.

Indiana (14-6, 5-4) will next host Maryland at Noon ET on Sunday.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Northwestern catches fire from three. Northwestern guards Ty Berry and Jalen Leach torched Indiana from beyond-the-arc. Berry made 7-of-10 from long range for the game, and Leach was 3-of-3 in the second half. As a team the Wildcats made 13-of-27 from deep. Overall from the field, Northwestern shot 30.8% in the first half, and 62.5% in the second, including 9-of-14 from three after the break.

2. Too many turnovers. Indiana started the game with miscues, and they continued throughout the evening in Evanston. In total the Hoosiers gave it away 17 times. Anthony Leal had five turnovers, while Oumar Ballo, Trey Galloway, Myles Rice and Mackenzie Mgbako each had three. Combined with 42.1% shooting from the field, the Hoosiers weren’t efficient enough to hang once the Wildcats got hot in the second half.

3. Another meltdown. Indiana appeared to be peaking at the right time, with a 10-0 second half run to take a 52-49 lead with 9:25 left. But Northwestern immediately responded with a 21-4 run of their own to push out to a 70-56 lead with 3:12 that proved to be insurmountable. In total Northwestern scored 54 points after the break, and scored 1.69 points per possession.

HIGHLIGHTS