Indiana basketball answers the bell in dramatic fashion with crazy win over Wisconsin
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball ended a four-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night against Wisconsin at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers (15-13; 7-10 Big Ten) took the lead with 1:07 to go and closed out a 74-70 win over a Wisconsin team that beat them by 12 points earlier this season.
Wisconsin (18-10; 10-7) erased a 15-point first half deficit coming out of halftime and tied the game just before the stadium was evacuated when the fire alarm went off.
Indiana starting center Kel'el Ware led IU with his 12th double-double of the season (third in last four games). He had 27 points (11 of 12), 11 rebounds and five blocks, all game-highs.
The scene at Assembly Hall right now pic.twitter.com/P49E3cAyje
— Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) February 28, 2024
Assembly Hall evacuated during second half thanks to fire alarm
The sirens came on along as the emergency lights flashed in the halls at 8:19 p.m..
They were on for about five minutes before ushers started escorting fans out of the arena while the teams continued playing. When Wisconsin's Connor Essegian committed a foul, the officials used the break in play to discuss the situation with IU officials.
The stadium wasn't even fully cleared when fans were let back into the stadium and players came back from the locker room to warm up. Play resumed while fans were still streaming back into the arena.
Indiana basketball and Wisconsin go down to the wire
After the fire alarm drama, the teams slugged it out over the final five minutes. The game was tied three times and there were three lead changes down the stretch.
Ware's 3-point play with 2:56 to go put IU up 68-65. He dropped in a lob from Trey Galloway — the guard tied his career-high with 12 assists — while being shoved away from the basket and hit the free throw. Wisconsin quickly answered with a step back 3-pointer from A.J. Storr to tie it back up.
Coming out of a timeout with 1:07 left and the game tied, 70-70, Malik Reneau powered in a layup, but he fouled out coming back down the court as Wisconsin was trying to set up a play.
Mackenzie Mgbako padded the lead with a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds.
More: Fans forced to evacuate Assembly Hall during Indiana basketball's game against Wisconsin
Indiana basketball center Kel’el Ware does the heavy lifting
Kel’el Ware wasn’t happy about letting Steven Crowl score against him in the paint. He made the point by burying a 3-pointer from the top of the key the next time down the court and shaking his head at Crowl to let him know about it.
Ware hit his first eight field goal attempts as he helped the Hoosiers go up by as many as 15 points in the half.
He had 20 points, seven rebounds and three blocks — all game highs — going into halftime. He played the first 15 minutes of the game without a rest to help IU overcome Malik Reneau getting in early foul trouble again.
Ware showed off his full skill set in the half coming off screens with ease, flashing his shooting range and even taking Crowl off the dribble.
Indiana went into halftime shooting 60% as a team (15 of 25) while performing better from 3-point range (4 of 9) and the free-throw line (4 of 5) than it had during any point of the team’s four-game losing streak.
Indiana basketball point guard Xavier Johnson gets standing ovation in return
Fans gave Xavier Johnson a standing ovation when he checked into the game with 13:25 to go in the first half. It was his first appearance since suffering an elbow injury against Iowa on Jan. 30. He wore a long sleeved white shirt to cover up a brace on his left arm.
It didn’t seem to bother him all that much on Tuesday night.
He was IU’s primary ball-handler when he was on the floor and confidently buried a 3-pointer in the first half with a smooth shooting motion.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball closes out dramatic win over Wisconsin basketball
