Indiana men’s basketball went cold for much of its game against Maryland on Wednesday night. While the slow start let the Terrapins take an early lead, stout defense and efficient free throw shooting powered the Hoosiers to an 84-66 victory Wednesday night inside XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland.
Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries knocked down a 3-pointer on Indiana’s second possession of the game, but nine straight misses across 15 minutes followed.
Early in the game, Maryland took advantage of the Hoosiers’ ineffectiveness from beyond the arc. The Terrapins scored each of their first eight points in the paint, and two free throws from senior forward Elijah Saunders gave Maryland a 10-5 lead after five minutes of action.
Five of Indiana’s first seven shots came from 3-point range. But after falling behind, the Cream and Crimson took a different approach. Of the Hoosiers’ next eight shots, just one came from beyond the arc. While makes still proved hard to come by, their focus on the interior yielded opportunities at the free throw line.
After falling behind 16-11, Indiana knocked down 10 free throws amid a 12-0 run to take the lead. The Hoosiers shot a perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line in the first half, accounting for nearly half of their points.
Much like in its win against Washington on Sunday, sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway spearheaded Indiana’s offensive effort early on, scoring 13 in the opening frame.
Once the second half began, both teams picked up the pace. Amid the influx of shot attempts, redshirt senior guard Conor Enright drilled a 3-pointer on Indiana’s first possession of the half before finding himself wide open and knocking down a second longball just two minutes later.
Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson hit his first shot from beyond the arc through a foul to bring the Hoosiers’ lead to eight heading into the under-16 media timeout. After converting the and-one, Wilkerson drained another longball to force Maryland head coach Buzz Williams to call a timeout down 12 points.
After the timeout, Wilkerson refused to let up. A mid-range jumper, 3-pointer and layup put him over 20 points for a fourth straight game. DeVries scored at the rim to make it an extended 18-4 Indiana run as the Hoosier lead ballooned to 17 with 12 minutes to play.
Maryland threatened to cut the deficit in the ensuing minutes, but a pair of missed free throws and a costly turnover allowed senior forward Reed Bailey to snatch the momentum. Bailey scored seven straight points for Indiana, including a dunk off a dish from Enright and an and-one layup.
After grabbing an offensive rebound, freshman forward Trent Sisley drew Maryland freshman guard Darius Adams’ fifth foul, knocking him out of the game. Prior to fouling out, Adams was tied for the Terrapins’ leading scorer.
Wilkerson ended the night with 24 points as the Cream and Crimson rode their dominant second half to an 84-66 victory. Conerway finished with 19 points, while Enright tallied 16 points and Bailey added 15 points. The Hoosiers recovered from their sluggish shooting start to close the game shooting 45% from the field alongside 32% from beyond the arc.
Indiana now sits at 3-1 in conference play ahead of a matchup with No. 10 Nebraska at noon Saturday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Cornhuskers will enter the contest a perfect 15-0.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
