Terrapins Crush Indiana’s Heart

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

    Rodney Rice hit the game winning shot making a three pointer with 7 seconds left as Myles Rice missed a three-point shot in the corner as the Maryland Terrapins beat the Indiana Hoosiers 79-78 Sunday Afternoon in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Maryland improves to 16-5 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten. Indiana is 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big 10 and have lost two in a row and four of their last five games. It doesn’t get any easier for the Hoosiers who travel to archrival Purdue Friday Night after the Boilermakers blew out Michigan 91-64 at Mackey Arena last Friday Night.

    Indiana made two substitutions before the last inbounds play taking out Oumar Ballo and Anthony Leal and putting in Luke Goode and Mackenize Mgbako and the crowd booed the decision and did not understand the reasoning and Head Coach Mike Woodson said Maryland went zone and they didn’t execute at the end of the game. Maryland snaps a three-game losing streak to Indiana and Maryland is now 3-6 all time in Bloomington and Indiana leads the all-time series 14-10.

    The Hoosiers led 73-70 with 3:05 left as the Hoosiers used an 8-0 run as Maryland was scoreless for 2:05 as Malik Reneau’s turnaround jumper gave the Hoosiers a five-point lead 75-70 with 3:07. Selton Miguel scored on the fastbreak with a layup to cut the Hoosiers lead to 3 points 75-72. Julian Reese put Maryland within one 75-74 of a Hoosiers turnover with 1:10 left. Anthony Leal scored on a second chance basket and was fouled as the Hoosiers completed the three-point play to put the Hoosiers up four 78-72.

    Ja’Kobi Gillespie put Maryland within two 78-76 with 28 seconds left.  Trey Galloway was fouled by Derik Queen and missed the one and one with 22 seconds left. Maryland was able to get the look the wanted as Rodney Rice drained the game winning basket on a three pointer to silence the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd to give the Terps the win as he led Maryland in scoring with 23 and draining 5-7 from beyond the arc as Maryland went 12-24 from the three-point line to shoot 50%.

    Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 18 points and went 4-10 from downtown. Selton Miguel 15 points going 3-6 from three-point range. Julian Reese scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his 9th double-double of the season. Freshman Derik Queen scored 7 points and 11 pulled down 11 rebounds for 7th game with double figure rebounds, Maryland scored 2 points off its bench when Tarfara Gapare had an alley-oop with 9:57 in the first half with the assist to Gillespie. Fromer Indiana Hoosier Jordan Geronimo played 5 minutes and pulled down 2 rebounds.

     Mackenize Mgbako and Myles Rice led Indiana with 16 points apiece. Oumar Ballo recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ballo has recorded a double in 5 of the last 7 games and 6 of the last eight games scoring double figures in all 8 games. Malik Reneau added 10 points for Indiana in just his second game back from knee injury as he returned to the starting lineup.

     Luke Goode scored 8 points off the bench and hit two three pointers. Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway scored six points apiece and Kannan Carlyle added 2 points. The Hoosiers are 2-6 in quad 1 games and with 10 more chances in the regular season with a tough scheduled ahead the opportunities for the Hoosiers are starting to run out. Indiana had a foul to give and did not give it and called to set up the final inbounds play that did not work.

    Myles Rice took blame for the last play saying after the game “That’s on me as a point guard; I’ve got to make sure, no matter what lineup is in, that we know what we’re doing” and for the Hoosiers another tough loss and another home loss and more pressure on a team expected to win and fell short once again sending the crowd home disappointed.