Reflections on a 63-55 victory against Maryland:
While Aaron Wiggins hit a 3-point basket with 15:14 left in the competition, Indiana found himself 10 points down and in trouble. The first 25 minutes of action were an abysmal and forgettable case for the Hoosiers.
Armaan Franklin left the game with an ankle injury. Trayce Jackson-Davis landed just three of his first 11 shots and looked exhausted again. Indiana lost all 11 of its 3-point attempts. The attack seemed tough as a plaque, Maryland’s defense forcing Indiana into difficult situations, at the end of the clock, either through a man or a zone.
But then Rob Phinisee finally managed to hit Indiana’s first 3 points in the game, reducing Maryland’s 10 point lead to seven. Al Durham made his way to the basket for a lay-in which he reduced to five points. He hit a 3-point ball in Indiana’s possession. Suddenly, Indiana found herself only two years old and still alive. Donta Scott made a second chance score to put Maryland back in four. Jackson-Davis converted it into an e-1 to bring the Hoosiers to a point.
Media time out with 11:53 to play.
Whatever was said in that time limit, it seemed to galvanize the Hoosiers as they built their mini-race. Inside an almost empty Assembly Hall, the bank became the domestic crowd, screaming, shouting and cheering like crazy. Energy generated energy and the players on the field increased it at both ends, the Hoosiers ended up exchanging that 10 point deficit for a 12 point advantage before settling for an eight point victory. After a slow first time in which he seemed to be a little accelerated or perhaps looking for contact where he did not come from, Jackson-Davis came back to life in the final stretch, scoring 17 points in the second half, including 12 at the 11:53 end of the contest. At one point, he dropped to his knees before going to the line for a couple of free throws. He made sure the coaching staff knew he would stay in the game.
The sophomore also overcame the boards, helping the Hoosiers to earn nine second chance points in the second half. He ended the night with 22 points (9 out of 18) and 15 boards, another dominant performance for him and just in time for the Hoosiers. Indiana’s defense also went up the straight, making things more difficult for a Maryland team that played without Darryl Morsell. The Terrapins seemed to tire when Indiana recovered late.
It also helped the fact that during the first 25 difficult minutes of UI, Maryland also didn’t shoot well. On paper, Maryland’s offensive style has been Indiana’s kryptonite so far this season – 3-point shots above the 5-point average – but the Terps hit just 7 out of 25 points tonight. They also scored just 0.85 points for possession, the Big Ten’s first opponent that the Hoosiers had less than 1.0 this season.
This was far from being a beautiful game. But credit to the Hoosiers. They got together during the final 10 minutes or so of the competition and didn’t let Maryland come back late. Winning takes them 2-2 in conference games, where wins are never guaranteed, where you take them from where you can get them in any way that works.
Filed under: Maryland Terrapins