‘We needed him tonight and he responded’: Malik Reneau returns from mysterious one-game absence, dominates on offense in road win over Washington

Malik Reneau continues to pose as one of the most impactful players as of lately for Indiana basketball.

Reneau didn’t suit up last Wednesday in Indiana’s 83-78 victory over Penn State after taking a pregame trip to the emergency room due to an allergic reaction.

Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson looked back at what happened to Reneau on Wednesday, commenting on the situation.

“You know, it was strange, the game that he sat out because we had shoot around and he was lively and talkative, and then he just got sick,” Woodson said. “Our guys picked it up against Penn State and did what we needed to do to secure that win, but we needed him tonight and he responded.”

Reneau’s absence on Wednesday was certainly peculiar. Reneau was featured in Indiana basketball’s pregame shootaround social media post on Wednesday, but was no where to be seen during warmups.

With Reneau sidelined for Indiana’s previous game, Woodson commented on the significance of Reneau being able to travel for the team’s road trip.

“The main thing was could he fly with the team and not spread whatever he had amongst the players,” Woodson said on Reneau’s status. “That was my big concern, so we had talked about maybe flying him out separately. But our good doctor, doctor Rink suggested that it would be okay, so it all worked out.”

Reneau was active for today’s contest at Washington, continuing his recent excellence on the court.

Reneau, who came off the bench in the 78-62 victory over Washington, collected 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, six rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. Reneau closed the game out with an efficient +/- of +14. Reneau’s 22 points led the contest for both teams, while also marking a season high for Reneau, surpassing his 21 points he scored twice this season, against Louisville and Providence.

Reneau and Myles Rice were major impacts off the bench for Indiana, combining for 35 bench points. On the other side, Washington’s bench was limited to just 10 points

The win over Washington marks Indiana’s fourth win in its last five games. Indiana has now returned to .500 in Big Ten conference play for the first time in over a month, sitting at a 9-9 record in conference play, 5.5 games out of first place.

More importantly though has been the play of Reneau. He’s averaging 17.2 points over the past five games while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor. He’s scored 14, 15, 16, 19 and then 22 points on the last five outings.

Indiana is fortunate to have Reneau back at full strength, as the team will be tasked with facing Oregon, the last team on Indiana’s west coast trip. Tipoff is slated for Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

SEE ALSO: ‘These guys are playing for something’: With free minds and pressure aside, Indiana basketball playing for ‘something big’ — a chance in March

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