At the buzzer: Indiana 65, Maryland 53 – Indoor

Quick thoughts on the 65-53 win over Maryland:

how did that happen

With Xavier Johnson on the sidelines in the shoes, Indiana entered Friday’s Big Ten opener against Maryland short-handed. But the Hoosiers didn’t skip anything. Indiana took an 8-2 lead, forcing Kevin Willard to burn a timeout under four minutes. Kel’el Ware, as he has done all season, made an impact on both ends. The 7-footer challenged Julian Reyes at the rim and showed off his incredible touch from the perimeter and in the paint. The Hoosiers led by as many as 15 points at 39-24 before settling for a 12-point lead at halftime. Mackenzie Mgbako also continued his impressive performance against Harvard, scoring 11 points in the first half. The Hoosiers scored 1.17 points per possession in the first 20 minutes and held Maryland to 0.82 points per drive on just 42.9 percent shooting.

The Hoosiers kept up the energy going into the second half, extending the lead to 21 points at 52-31 with 14:57 to play. By 11:01, Indiana led 58-35 on a Trey Galloway layup. Indiana’s lead was 19 at the under-eight media timeout with 6:53 remaining. A 10-0 Maryland run got the Terps within 12 at the 5:09 mark. But Ware’s bucket stopped the run with 4:31 to play, giving the Hoosiers a 63-49 advantage. Indiana was never challenged the rest of the way as the Hoosiers improved to 6-1 heading into a road trip to Michigan on Tuesday.

Outstanding performers

Ware’s dominance continued early in the season as he notched a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes. Ware was 8-for-12 from the field and also had an assist and a blocked shot. Galloway played his best game of the season, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana once again dominated the paint, outscoring Maryland 40-26. The Hoosiers also dominated on the glass as they scored 14 second-chance points and allowed the Terps to only make 24 percent of their missed shots.

IU’s final individual stats

Rhythm-free final statistics

Post-game show Assembly Call

Submitted to: Maryland Terrapins