BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Mackenzie Mgbako scored 18 points, Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau each had 17 and No. 17 Indiana defeated Eastern Illinois 90-55 on Sunday.
The Hoosiers (2-0) trailed the upset-minded Panthers by five points before going on a 24-2 run early in the second half. Mgbako, Ballo and Reneau combined to make 23 of 32 shots overall and grab 22 rebounds. Indiana outscored Eastern Illinois 54-18 in the second half.
Nakyel Shelton led Eastern Illinois (1-2) with 17 points. The Panthers made five 3-pointers to take a one-point halftime lead but were just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Takeaways
Eastern Illinois: The Panthers looked like an underdog capable of an upset for about 23 minutes, then disappeared in a disastrous second-half stretch. The collapse had the visitors looking more like the team that lost by 45 at No. 24 Illinois in the season opener.
Indiana: Another double-digit win over an outmanned midmajor program was far from encouraging when considering the Hoosiers struggled to defend the 3-point line early and didn't take control of this game until a few minutes into the second half. Far more is expected.
Key moment
Down five early in the second half, Indiana went on a 11-0 run, with Mgbako and Reneau combining for nine of those points, including a pair of dunks.
Key stat
In Indiana's 24-2 run, the Hoosiers made 9 of 14 shots while the Panthers managed only one basket with 10 missed shots.
Up next
The Panthers visit Northwestern on Friday and the Hoosiers host South Carolina on Saturday.
No. 17 Indiana 90, E. Illinois 55
E. ILLINOIS (1-2) — Bolis 0-2 0-0 0, Jacobi 4-8 0-1 8, Fruster 5-11 0-0 13, Shelton 7-16 0-0 17, Stapleton 4-12 3-4 12, Olafioye 0-2 0-0 0, Kalle 1-2 0-0 2, Curtis 0-2 0-0 0, Griffin 0-0 2-2 2, Grbovic 0-2 0-0 0, McMorris 0-0 1-2 1, O'Connor 0-0 0-0 0, Prost 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-57 6-9 55.
INDIANA (2-0) — Mgbako 7-10 2-2 18, Reneau 8-12 1-1 17, Ballo 8-10 1-2 17, Carlyle 2-7 0-0 6, Rice 2-3 1-2 5, Tucker 5-7 2-2 12, Galloway 2-3 1-2 5, Goode 2-5 0-0 6, Cupps 0-1 0-0 0, Hatton 1-1 0-0 2, Newton 1-3 0-1 2. Totals: 38-62 8-12 90.
Halftime—E. Illinois 37-36. 3-Point Goals—E. Illinois 7-20 (Fruster 3-6, Shelton 3-8, Stapleton 1-3, Olafioye 0-1, Jacobi 0-2), Indiana 6-18 (Carlyle 2-4, Mgbako 2-4, Goode 2-5, Cupps 0-1, Galloway 0-1, Newton 0-1, Reneau 0-1, Rice 0-1). Rebounds—E. Illinois 24 (Jacobi 6), Indiana 36 (Ballo 9). Assists—E. Illinois 8 (Stapleton 4), Indiana 26 (Galloway 8). Total Fouls—E. Illinois 15, Indiana 14. A—1,722 (17,222).
