BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (December 21, 2023) – Indiana University used 12 three pointers on 50 percent shooting to down the University of North Alabama men's basketball team 83-66 in Bloomington, Ind. on Thursday. 

After Indiana stretched an early 10-2 lead, UNA and Indiana traded baskets for the remainder of the half, with the Hoosiers outsourcing the Lions 33-30 in the final 14:02 of the first half. A pair of Tim Smith Jr. three pointers would attempt to slice the Indiana lead, but IU would answer twice in the final minute.

UNA, however, would fall victim to the Hoosiers having their best shooting night of the season, making a new season-high 12 shots from beyond the arc on just 24 attempts. This also marked the most triples for Indiana since 2020.

For the second consecutive game, Dallas Howell led all UNA scorers, this time with 14 points. Jacari Lane added 12 points of his own, while Smith Jr. and KJ Johnson each had 11. Senior forward Damian Forrest had 10 rebounds on the night, while junior guard Detalian Brown led the team with three steals. 

Malik Reneau led Indiana with a career-high 25 points and added on a team-best seven rebounds. Trey Galloway led the Hoosiers with nine assists. Mackenzie Mgbacko tacked on 12 points while Anthony Walker added 11. Reneau made all four of his three-point attempts in the contest.

The Lions fall to 6-7 on the season, while the Hoosiers improve to 9-3.


HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half: Indiana opened up the game on a 10-2 run before a Johnson and-one reeled the Hoosier lead back to 10-5. Howell and Lane would combine for UNA's next 10 points, each tallying five apiece. A Forrest dunk would bring the two teams to the under-eight media timeout at a 28-17 IU lead. Smith Jr. would knock down two three-pointers in the final minute of the half, but Indiana matched the graduate forward each time. The Lions trailed the Hoosiers 43-34 at the half, led by Howell with eight points along with Forrest and Smith Jr. each with six points.

Second Half: The Hoosiers opened up the second half on an 11-3 run, with the scores separated by a Howell three pointer. Marco Foster added two three pointers of his own while Lane added seven second half points. Four North Alabama players finished the game in double figures including Howell, Lane, Johnson and Smith Jr. Forrest finished the game with six points and 10 rebounds.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Despite just averaging 3.6 three-pointers per game, Indiana made 12 three-pointers against the Lions, setting a new season-high.
   
• Howell scored double figure points for the second consecutive game with 14 points. Howell set a career high with 17 points on the road against Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
   
• Johnson moves into 68th place in all-time ASUN scoring with 11 points tonight. Johnson is now at 1,377 points for his career over five seasons, including the last two at UNA.
   
• Lane ended in double figures for the 10th time this season — the most on the team — and the 32nd time in 44 career games.
   
• Brown notched three steals in the game, his most in a game since Jan. 28, 2023 against North Florida. Brown's career high is four steals against Oakwood on Nov. 23, 2021.
   
• UNA had 37 of its 66 points from the bench. The Lions rank 39th in the NCAA with 28.7 bench points per game.

COMING UP NEXT

UNA will make its 2024 debut on New Year's Day at Texas Tech. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on Monday in Lubbock, Texas. This will mark the final non-conference game of the regular season for UNA, as ASUN play begins Saturday, Jan. 6 at home against Central Arkansas. 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.