Indiana head coach Mike Woodson stood on one end of Gene Keady Court floor, desperately calling for his final timeout. But amid a hostile crowd veiled in black, his actions proved fruitless.
It was too late.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Myles Rice had already made up his mind. Trailing in-state rival Purdue by 1 point with 11 seconds remaining in the game, he pushed the ball up the floor on the side opposite of Woodson.
While on the baseline, 12 feet away from the Boilermakers’ basket, Rice released the nail in Indiana’s coffin. His heavily contested shot never even reached the rim. Despite significant contact from freshman guard Gicarri Harris, the referees kept their whistles quiet as the roar from the Boilermaker faithful erupted.
Rice’s crucial mistake capped his worst performance of the season and solidified Indiana’s 81-76 loss to Purdue on Friday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“Once he took off, I couldn’t get to him,” Woodson said postgame. “It was too late. The official had went by. Again, that’s just — we got to connect better.”
It wasn’t just the final play. He never found a rhythm. Rice totaled 15 minutes of action in the first half, missed both of his shot attempts and surrendered a pair of turnovers.
Although Woodson elected to start the second half with the Washington State University transfer on the floor, it didn’t last. In the opening three minutes, Purdue sprinted to an 11-1 run. With Rice as the primary playmaker, the Hoosiers failed to record a single made field goal in that stretch.
With 17 minutes left in the game, he was pulled.
Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway checked in for Rice and did something Rice couldn’t — score. After tallying only 2 points in the first half, the veteran provided a necessary spark off the bench with 13 second-half points.
Galloway’s scoring, in addition to the defensive impact of fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal, meant Rice had no place in an Indiana lineup looking to pull off an upset win as double-digit underdogs.
With Rice sitting on the bench, the backcourt tandem of Leal and Galloway helped Indiana slowly dig out of its hole. Over the next 11 minutes of play, the Hoosiers flipped a 6-point deficit into a 6-point lead.
“I mean the group that was on the floor played well for us,” Woodson said. “It’s no knock against Myles. He didn’t have it going early, and I elected to ride the guys that really finished the game.”
Likely, the players that got Indiana back into the game would have closed it out — at least until Woodson’s hand was forced.
After contacting junior guard Braden Smith on a drive to the lane, Leal fouled out. As the Bloomington native walked off the court, he took a moment to speak with his replacement, the well-rested Rice, in front of the scorer’s table.
In a career-high 35 minutes, Leal posted 6 points, five rebounds and four assists, all while guarding the dynamic Smith.
Leal’s play could best be summed up as selfless, which made it even more frustrating for Indiana when Rice filled his position with a tightly contested attempt to be the hero. After the play, sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo was visibly frustrated with Rice inside the Hoosiers’ huddle.
“Everybody's heated in the heat of the moment,” Woodson said. “He didn't think it was a good play, and he voiced his opinion on it, which is OK.”
Despite finishing with 0 points on 0-for-4 shooting, Rice opted to squander Indiana’s final chance without recording a single pass. In comparison, Ballo posted 14 points and eight rebounds in the defeat.
Even with Ballo and fellow guard Galloway — who played for 17 straight minutes — on the floor, the player who took the final shot was one that had been benched earlier that half for his offensive struggles. Purdue head coach Matt Painter remarked on the Hoosiers’ decision-making down the stretch following the game.
“We were just fortunate Trey Galloway didn’t have the ball in his hands at the end there,” Painter said. “I mean, let’s just be frank about it.”
Inconsistency has been as much of a problem for Rice as it has been for Indiana this season. He’s scored at least 15 points on nine occasions. He’s also scored 5 points or less seven times.
According to Woodson, Purdue’s hostile environment was a major contributor in Rice’s most recent offensive struggle.
“I kind of thought it got to him a little bit,” Woodson said. “I’ve got to help Myles because he’s a big piece to what we do, and I believe in him and I’m going to keep pushing him to be better.”
In a game that could have potentially served as a turning point for Indiana’s season, one of its key pieces failed to execute. As a result, the Hoosiers’ opportunity to knock off their in-state rivals on the road fell just short of reality.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
