Indiana closes on a 13-2 run to beat Louisville 74-66 for 3rd place at the Empire Classic
ByAP
Nov 20, 2023, 07:15 pm
NEW YORK — — Xavier Johnson had 14 points, Malik Reneau scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Indiana closed on a 13-2 run to beat Louisville 74-66 on Monday in the third-place game of the Empire Classic.
Indiana trailed 64-61 with 4:23 remaining after JJ Traynor‘s dunk but Louisville did not score again until Skyy Clark‘s wide open layup with 4.1 seconds left.
Johnson made a fast-break layup, following a steal by Reneau, to put Indiana ahead 65-64. Reneau added a basket in the paint and two free throws to make it 69-64.
Indiana scored 13 straight points in the final four minutes.
Kel’el Ware also scored 12 points for Indiana (4-1). Anthony Walker added 11 points. Reneau, who scored a career-high 18 points in a loss to No. 5 UConn on Sunday, finished 3 of 5 from the field and 6 of 6 at the stripe.
Walker scored nine points in the first half to help Indiana build a 34-29 lead. The Hoosiers got 18 bench points in the first half and 20 points in the paint.
Clark led Louisville (2-3) with 19 points. Tre White added 10 points.
Former Indiana star Victor Oladipo sat courtside.
Indiana plays Harvard in Indianapolis on Sunday. Louisville, which was coming off an 81-80 loss to No. 19 Texas on a buzzer beater, returns home to face New Mexico State on Sunday.
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ——
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball