All it takes is one shot to go in. Then getting a stop on defense. Then another basket and making some free-throws.
All of a sudden when you look up at the scoreboard, what was a 10-point deficit is gone. It doesn’t happen all at once. It takes stringing a few good possessions together and outworking the opposition to slowly chisel away at the lead.
In the second half of Monday night’s game, that is exactly what the Hoosiers did in their 63-55 win over Maryland.
The first half was one of IU’s worst of the season. The Hoosiers shot 30% from the field, missed all nine of its 3-pointers and had more turnovers than free-throw attempts with five and four respectively, while scoring just 21 points.
“When you go 0-for-nine from three in the first half it’s frustrating and this team gets down on itself when it’s not scoring and the offense isn’t going well.”
While the Hoosiers’ perimeter shooting has plagued them all season, shooting just 32.7% from beyond the arc, it was the team’s inability to score in the paint that was more concerning.
While junior forward Race Thompson was the lone bright spot for IU in the first half, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds, the rest of the team had trouble getting the ball in the bucket.
Star sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis scored only five points in the first half and struggled to convert easy chances which had been nearly automatic so far this season.
A big reason Jackson-Davis struggled in the first half was that he was looking to draw fouls instead of trying to finish through contact. Miller said at halftime Jackson-Davis told him he was expecting Maryland to send double-teams, so when they didn’t come it left him trying to finish awkwardly in midair.
“I don’t think he could have played any weaker around the rim in the first half,” Miller said.
At halftime, Jackson-Davis said Miller emphasized continuing to attack the basket and wearing down Maryland’s defense.
The second half started similarly to the first. Both teams struggled shooting from the field, trading baskets with large time gaps between breaks.
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Maryland took a 10-point lead on a 3-pointer from junior guard Aaron Wiggins — its largest lead of the night.
After that shot, the Hoosiers found their offense.
On the ensuing possession, junior guard Rob Phinisee received a pass from a spinning Jackson-Davis in the paint and confidently drained a step in 3-pointer, the first of the game for IU. Phinisee’s 3-pointer would jumpstart a 15-4 run over the next 4:31, giving IU a 42-41 lead.
“It was a tale of two halves really offensively,” Miller said. “In the second half we were a much different team. We were more physical around the basket and it started with Trayce.”
Miller said on a Zoom call Sunday, the key was winning the last eight minutes of the game. In IU’s Big Ten losses, it was in the final minutes the team started to show its fatigue while its opponents pulled away.
After being bottled up throughout the first half, Jackson-Davis exploded down the stretch and helped the Hoosiers race past the Terrapins.
In the final six minutes, Jackson-Davis scored 10 of his game-high 22 points while IU stretched its lead out to 12-points late in the game.
IU shot 44.8% from the field in the second half, while making all four of its 3-point shots. The Hoosiers also went 15-of-18 from the free-throw line, helping put the game away in the final minutes.
“Clearly tonight wasn’t our night but we found a way to win,” Miller said.
