Thoughts about prof 63-55 wins Against Maryland:
When Aaron Wiggins sprayed a triple pointer home with 15:14 to go into the competition, Indiana found itself slumping 10 points and in trouble. The first twenty-five minutes of work were a bad and forgotten thing for the Hookers.
Armand Franklin left the match due to an ankle injury. Trayce Jackson-Davis only made 3 of his first 11 shots and was once again sounding gas. Indiana missed all of its 3-point attempts at 11. Crime looked cruel like a billboard, and Maryland’s defense forced Indiana into tough spots, late on the clock whether by man or by region.
But then, Rob Vincci finally knocked out the first three pointers from Indiana in the match to cut Maryland’s lead from 10 points to seven. Durham made his way to the basket to throw the ball to five points. He hit the 3rd Index of Indiana possession that followed. Suddenly, Indiana finds herself in decline with life. Donta Scott scored the second to return Maryland four times. Jackson-Davis switched on and 1 to bring the Hoosiers inside a point.
Media timeout with 11:53 to play.
Whatever was said at that time, it seemed to motivate the Hoosiers, as they built their own little track. Inside a mostly empty boardroom, the seat became the home crowd, screaming, shouting and cheering like crazy. Energy gave birth to energy and players on the ground switched it to both ends, and the Hoosiers eventually substituted a 10-point deficit by a 12-point difference before settling for an eight-point win. After a slow first half where he appeared to be a bit quick or maybe looking for a connection where he hadn’t come, Jackson Davis came back alive, scoring 17 second-half points including 12 in the 11:53 final of a competition. At one point, he dropped his knees before heading to the streak to take a pair of free throws. He has made sure the coaching staff knows he will remain in the game.
The second student also floated on the board, helping the Hoosiers with nine points a second chance in the second half. He finished the night with 22 points (9 out of 18) and 15 boards, another dominating performance for him and just in time for Team Hoosiers. Indiana’s defense also made it more difficult, making things even more difficult for the Maryland team who play without Daryl Morcel. Terrapins seem to be tired with their late Indiana outbreak.
It also helped that in IU’s first rough 25 minutes, Maryland didn’t shoot well either. On paper, Maryland’s attacking style has been Indiana kryptonite so far this season – 5 points, above average 3 shot points – but Terps only hit 7 of 25 from Deep Tonight. They also scored just 0.85 points per possession, the first Big Ten opponent that the Hoosiers have kept under 1.0 this season.
This was far from a nice game. But the credit to Hoosiers. They came together during the last ten minutes or so of the competition and didn’t let Maryland slip into her late. A win results in them getting 2-2 in team play where wins are never guaranteed, you can take them where you can get them any way that works.
Registered in: Maryland Terrapins
“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”
