Amid recent struggles, Mackenzie Mgbako ‘broke loose’ and ‘did what we’ve come to know what he can do’ for IU basketball — make shots in a big time win

The sophomore slump is a widely known term across college sports, especially in college basketball. It is exactly what it sounds like; a second-year player who has hit a bit of a wall after a very good first year. That has been the case for IU basketball sophomore wing Mackenzie Mgbako over the last month of the season. After a fantastic finish to his freshman year, Mgbako was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year and came back to Bloomington looking for an All-Big Ten type second season.

The importance of Mgbako was already known when Indiana’s roster came together this summer. After an extremely difficult start to his freshman season, his scoring and shooting ability on the wing was came on in a large way. It became a critical weapon for an IU offense that lacked firepower.

And he started right where he left off this year. He scored 31 points on 13-of-17 from the field in the season-opener and averaged 22.0 points on 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from three. Then, the slump hit. Mgbako went the next 10 games averaging just 10.9 points and shot 34 percent from three. And it was clear, Indiana’s offense struggled.

So when Mgbako broke out on Sunday against Penn State, it was a much-needed sign for an IU basketball team looking to turn the corner and start to gain momentum as Big Ten play resumed.

Mgbako had an 8-0 run by himself in the first 56 seconds of the second half that ended up sparking Indiana’s 77-71 win over the Nittany Lions. He hit two 3s and had another layup on the first three possessions for the Hoosiers. He then had a tough turnaround jumper from the right corner at the end of the shot clock to make it 10 of IU’s first 18 second-half points. It was the stretch of dominant play that had been lacking from Mgbako’s game since the early parts of the season.

In turn, Mgbako finished with 20 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from three in 31 minutes. His 31 minutes were also the second-most on the season and the highest since Nov. 11 against South Carolina.

“Just playing hard,” Mgbako said after the game about the early second-half run. “We can in with the intention of coming into the half with a lot of energy, a lot of toughness, and it felt like that’s what we did.

“My teammates found the open players, and I knocked down shots when they (passes) came to me.”

Mgbako’s quick run was needed as Indiana went just 1-of-7 from the floor and had four turnovers in the final 5:21 of the first half. A 29-29 tie game quickly swung in the favor of Indiana.

“I thought the start of the second half, it was all Mack that opened the door for us,” IU basketball head coach Mike Woodson said. “We couldn’t make 3s even though we had good looks the first half, but he started the run.”

Indiana was just 2-of-11 from three in the first half and averaged just .967 points per possession. Mgbako’s two 3s tied the first half total in just 1:12 of game time and led the charge for a 7-of-12 second half shooting performance from Indiana. At the midway portion of the second half, IU basketball was averaging 1.812 points per possession.

“Mack broke loose … He stepped up in the second half,” Woodson added. “He did what we’ve come to know what he can do, and that’s make shots. He made some big ones to give us the lead that we needed.”

Sunday’s play was a follow-up from another solid outing in Thursday’s win over Rutgers. He had 16 points on 3-of-7 from three and has now gone 7-of-15 from long range in the last two games after a 5-of-20 across the previous six games.

On the season, the 6-foot-8 wing is now averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 42.4 percent from three on 4.4 attempts per game. Through 15 games, he is tied for the team-lead in scoring, leads the team in three-point percentage and made 3s, and is third in rebounding.

Mgbako, a New Jersey native, was playing in front of numerous family members and friends being less than two hours away from his hometown. Amid some recent struggles, family and his recent performance could be the jumpstart he needed to get back to his early season play — thus greatly benefiting Indiana along the way.

“It’s awesome, having my family here,” Mgbako said. “The unwavering support is what helps me and drives me to be the best I can be.”

SEE ALSO: IU basketball takes ‘a big step forward’ in first notable win of season. Now, it could be the turning point moving forward: ‘When things got tight, they didn’t go the other way’

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