Quick thoughts on a 76-73 win at Ohio State:
How it happened
Indiana was listless on Tuesday at Ohio State. Mike Woodson’s teams have typically been able to rebound from tough performances in the past, but this version of the Hoosiers had no urgency against the Buckeyes. Ohio State didn’t play particularly well, but it didn’t matter as Indiana shot a dreadful 9-for-27 and scored just .76 points per possession in the opening 20 minutes. Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton, who struggled in the first game in Bloomington, combined for 22 points in the first half. It was enough for Ohio State to go to the locker room with a comfortable 42-29 cushion.
The Buckeyes stretched the lead out to 18 on two occasions early in the second half as the Hoosiers continued to lack fight out of the locker room. Indiana, however, didn’t fold. The Hoosiers got within nine at 51-42 on a Trey Galloway jumper, but the Buckeyes answered immediately with a 3-pointer from Jamison Battle to make it 54-42 with 13:18 to play. The Hoosiers got within eight on a Malik Reneau free throw with 11:37 remaining, but Ohio State scored the next five points to stretch the lead back to 13 with 10:33 left.
Indiana closed the Buckeye advantage to seven on a Trey Galloway 3-pointer with 6:34 remaining. And the Hoosiers got within four at 65-61 when Reneau split a pair of free throws with 5:37 left. A Galloway bucket made it 65-63 Ohio State with five minutes left and Galloway drew an offensive foul to get possession back with 4:55 to go. Indiana’s 10-0 run was halted by a pair of free throws by Gayle Jr., but Galloway came back on the next possession and made a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game.
Indiana trailed by just one by the final media timeout and had possession. The Hoosiers took the lead at 70-69 on a Kel’el Ware bucket and had a chance to stretch it to three with Anthony Leal at the line. But Leal split the free throws to make it 71-69 and Ohio State’s Jamison Battle scored on the next possession to make it 71-all with 1:40 to play. No one scored for the next minute until Mackenzie Mgbako committed a foul with 37.6 seconds to go, which sent Battle to the line. He made both to make it 73-71 Ohio State and Indiana took a timeout with 32.6 seconds left. Out of the timeout, a corner 3-pointer from Leal with 22.4 seconds left gave the Hoosiers a 74-73 lead. Leal made both free throws, and a Bruce Thornton 3-pointer at the buzzer missed to give Indiana its 14th win.
Standout performers
Galloway scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half with four assists. Reneau had 26 points and 14 rebounds and Leal was terrific off the bench with six points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana was terrific defensively in the second half, holding Ohio State to 31 points on 8-for-25 shooting. The Buckeyes scored just .969 points per possession in the final 20 minutes.
Final IU individual statistics
Final tempo-free statistics
Assembly Call postgame show
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Ohio State Buckeyes
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
