Maryland Basketball: Takeaways from a close road victory at Indiana
By Karl Heiser
Maryland Basketball (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) snatched a second consecutive road victory in the closing seconds against the Indiana Hoosiers (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten). Here are some takeaways from the Terrapins’ close win.
While Maryland Basketball entered the game coming off their first road win of the season at Northwestern, the Hoosiers arrived on a red-hot streak, taking four of their last five games, including a big win against No. 11 Michigan State. Despite their national ranking and previous victory over Indiana, Maryland certainly had their work cut out for them entering this match-up.
Fans of Maryland aren’t used to quick starts for the Terrapins. When Mark Turgeon’s team opened the game with four consecutive three-pointers, including two from Jalen Smith, many were surprised given Maryland’s well-documented road trip woes this season.
Despite torrid shooting from both teams, Maryland jumped out to a 14-point lead with 6:59 to go in the first half. Seven different players notched a triple for the Terps as ball movement and pace allowed them to dominate despite the Hoosiers keeping pace in shooting percentage.
The halftime lead was short-lived.
Indiana jumped out of the break with an 11-1 run to take their first lead of the game just four minutes into the second half. Maryland looked helpless as Indiana maintained an 8-point lead for the majority of the half, highlighted by a 13-2 run in the middle of the period.
The lead remained at seven points for the Hoosiers with just under four minutes to play. Anthony Cowan hit a clutch three-pointer off a screen to make it a two-possession game at 2:28 to go. After an Indiana turnover, Aaron Wiggins splashed home a triple of his own to bring Maryland within one with under a minute to play. When Jalen Smith gave the Terps the lead with fifteen seconds to play, the Terrapin defense held strong and forced a missed shot for the 77-76 win.
The Terps were headlined by Smith, who finished with a career-high 29 points on 10/14 shooting. Devonte Green led the Hoosiers with 16 points.