Indiana trailed 48-42 midway through the second half before scoring 14 straight points. Malik Reneau started the run with a three-point play and he capped it with two more free throws to make it 56-48.
Xavier Johnson made 1 of 2 at the free-throw line with 28.2 seconds left to extend Indiana’s lead to 66-63. FGCU had a good look at a 3-pointer from the corner, but Chase Johnston’s 3-pointer hit off the rim and the Eagles were called for a foul battling for the rebound. Johnson sealed it with two free throws.
Reneau added 15 points and Johnson, who played for the first time since December, finished with 14 points for Indiana. Ware, a 7-foot-2 center, is looking for a new start after an underachieving season at Oregon.
Indiana went seven-plus minutes without making a field goal in the first half, but still led 28-26. The Hoosiers also struggled from the free-throw line, making just 10 of 18. Five of FGCU's 10 first-half field goals were from 3-point range.
Zach Anderson led FGCU with 19 points. Dallion Johnson, who averaged 2.0 points a game during the 2022-23 season with Penn State, added 17 points with five 3-pointers.
Indiana faces Army — Bob Knight’s former school — on Sunday.
Kel’el Ware secures a double-double in his Hoosiers debut and Indiana beats FGCU 69-63
Darron Cummings/AP
Florida Gulf Coast's Franco Miller Jr. (12) goes to the basket against Indiana's Kel'el Ware (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
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