Myles Rice poured in 20 points and No. 16 Indiana overcame a shaky second-half stretch to defeat UNC Greensboro 69-58 on Thursday night in Bloomington, Ind.

Bryson Tucker had 14 points off the bench for the Hoosiers (4-0), while Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo all finished with nine points. Ballo grabbed 11 rebounds and Reneau snagged 10.

Indiana had to rely on defense as it had numerous rough patches on the offensive end.

Ronald Polite III’s 17 points and Donovan Atwell’s 10 points paced UNCG (2-2), which shot 31.7 percent from the floor. Kenyon Giles finished 3-for-17 from the field and Atwell was 3-for-15, including 3-for-12 on 3-pointers.

The Spartans connected on nine 3-point shots but had only 11 baskets from 2-point territory. They couldn’t sustain enough offense to make a charge in the final 10:52 after the Hoosiers used a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 54-42.

Indiana made 14 of 16 free throws, while UNCG hit 9 of 15 from the line.

The visitors pulled even at 40-40 by beginning the second half on a 13-4 run, capped by Malik Henry’s three-point play. Tucker countered with a three-point play and another jumper for the Hoosiers, who led the rest of the way.

Tucker added another jumper during Indiana’s nine-point surge after Akrum Ahemed’s layup had drawn the Spartans within 45-42.

The Hoosiers, who have played only home games so far, built a 21-5 lead less than nine minutes into the contest. They went scoreless over the next five-plus minutes but did not let UNCG creep closer than seven points.

Indiana went on to lead 36-27 at halftime despite not hitting a shot in the final 2:36 of the period.
Rice posted 14 points by halftime.

UNCG starters had only 17 points in the first half as the Spartans were held to 31.3 percent shooting from the field. UNCG trailed 17-3 at the 13:42 mark, with their only points coming on Giles’ 3-pointer 2:28 into the game.

–Field Level Media