During Indiana’s 74-68 victory over Iowa, senior point guard Xavier Johnson and top scorer Malik Reneau had to leave the game due to injury.
Bloomington, Indiana: Iowa was defeated by Indiana 74-68 on Tuesday night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but it might have cost them.
Malik Reneau, the leading scorer for Indiana, guarded Iowa’s Ben Krikke in the post less than three minutes into the game. Reneau seemed to roll his ankle and stagger a few steps toward the Indiana bench as Krikke backed his way to the hoop, stepping on his foot.
Amid the huddle of Indiana medical staff, Reneau reached for his right ankle. He groaned in agony as he limped off the court and into the tunnel. Reneau did not rejoin the game, but he did come out on crutches a few minutes later.
Reneau, who averages 16.7 points per game, was not on the court on Tuesday, so the Hoosiers maintained a slim lead the entire time. However, with 2:20 left, Iowa point player Tony Perkins made a classic 3-point play to give the Hawkeyes a two-point advantage.
In response, Indiana point player Xavier Johnson leaped for a potential game-winning dunk and highlight reel by darting across the court. Rather, Johnson took a strong blow to the deck when Iowa’s Ladji Dembele fouled him. Johnson was clutching his injured left arm on the ground, as if to brace himself against the fall.
During the last two and a half minutes of play, Johnson left the field wearing his jersey pulled over his head and went to the locker room. Johnson is no stranger to injuries; he missed all but 11 games the previous season due to a fractured foot and has already missed seven games this season.
Mike Woodson, the Indiana coach, stated following the game, “I don’t know the severity of X and Malik at this point.” “But they both kind of hurt themselves out. When I return there, I’ll check in here to see how that turns out. However, we are forced to wait on them if we must. Still, he’s the next man up. All we need to do is prepare the next man to play.”
Anthony Leal, a senior who has played little in his four years as a player, was the next man up on Tuesday. He scored a career-high 13 points against Iowa.
“I think it’s a way to rally us all together,” Leal stated. “When one man falls, we know the next man has to get up. And we’re all dedicated to succeeding and taking the necessary steps to accomplish so. We know we need to find a way to prevail and move on after Malik and X fall.”
Next up, on Saturday at noon ET, Indiana will host Penn State.