Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway strolled back toward Indiana men’s basketball’s huddle, high fiving his teammates with a subtle confidence after giving the Hoosiers a 64-63 lead over Oregon with just under two minutes remaining.
But Indiana (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) didn’t score again — while the Ducks (22-8, 11-8 Big Ten) scored 10 unanswered points en route to a 73-64 triumph Tuesday night at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
Late-game struggles have been a common theme in the Hoosiers’ recent defeats, as their last three losses — and seven of their last eight — were all by single digits. Indiana had chances to tie or take the lead inside the final minute in five of those defeats.
The Hoosiers rode significant momentum into Eugene, having won their past three games and four of their last five overall. Their NCAA Tournament hopes, once an afterthought, were revived by the winning streak.
Indiana had a chance to further cement its case as a March Madness squad Tuesday night. The Hoosiers were two minutes away from doing it. They fell short.
Oregon sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad put the first dagger in Indiana’s hopes, burying a deep 3-pointer from the left wing with the shot clock winding down. Shelstad, the Ducks’ leading scorer entering the day, had only 2 points in the second half before his clutch triple.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after the game his team — specifically fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal, who defended Shelstad — didn’t defend the play well.
“We didn’t, because (Oregon senior center Nate) Bittle caught the ball up top, Anthony was sucked in, and all he had to do was stay out,” Woodson said postgame. “We did not defend it well. I mean, make Bittle be the guy that beats you. Jackson has shown he can make shots and beat you, and he did. It was a big shot when we were up one.”
Still, the Hoosiers had a minute and a half to work, and their deficit was only 66-64. But after a discombobulated possession finished without a shot attempt due to Galloway losing the ball in the paint, the game slipped further away.
Be it out of frustration or as an attempt to get the ball back, Galloway fouled Bittle, who nailed a pair of free throws on the other end. With just over one minute left, Indiana trailed 68-64.
The Hoosiers called timeout. Six seconds after resuming play, sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who was 2-for-9 shooting from the field but 2 of 4 from distance to that point, missed a contested 3-pointer from the right wing.
Shelstad grabbed the rebound, and he hit two free throws after being fouled by Indiana redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice. The Ducks’ lead grew to 6 points.
Rice raced down the floor, jump-stopped and popped a midrange jumper. Had he made the shot, the Hoosiers still would’ve trailed by two possessions. Rice missed the attempt, and Shelstad secured another defensive rebound.
Though he hit just one of two free throws, Shelstad extended Oregon’s lead to three possessions. Indiana didn’t take a shot on its ensuing possession, as Oregon deflected and ultimately stole Rice’s pass intended for senior forward Luke Goode.
Shelstad made two more free throws, and Goode failed to connect on a contested 3-pointer on the Hoosiers’ next trip down the floor. Oregon dribbled the ball across halfcourt, and Woodson called off the proverbial dogs, admitting defeat.
When the clock hit zero, Goode aggressively pointed a finger at a referee. Woodson expressed frustration with the officiating postgame, dubbing it “awful” that Oregon shot 21 free throws to Indiana’s seven.
“We had our chances,” Woodson said. “But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7. You got to be kidding me. 21-7 on fucking free throws is bullshit. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.
Officiating is out of a team’s control. Attempting quality shots and converting is a controllable factor, as is avoiding turnovers in late-game situations. The Hoosiers have checked the box several times lately, including in a 71-67 win over Michigan State on Feb. 11 and an 83-78 victory over Penn State on Feb. 26.
But on Tuesday night, Indiana faltered.
“I just thought we poorly executed our offense,” Woodson said. “We had good calls, good play calls made, but they took us out of it. That’s something we got to learn from. When it’s nut-cutting time, you got to step up and make plays, which we’ve been doing. We’ve been making good basketball plays down the stretch, but tonight we didn’t.”
After Galloway’s go-ahead 3-pointer, Indiana missed its final three shots from the floor and turned the ball over twice. Oregon, meanwhile, went 7-for-8 shooting at the free throw line following Shelstad’s critical triple, and the Ducks’ defense blended ferocity with rebounding to hold the Hoosiers to one shot — if they could get it off.
Indiana was far from perfect overall. It shot only 3 of 7 at the foul stripe and made only 40% of its field goals. Oregon outrebounded Indiana 43-36, and the Ducks scored 23 second-chance points to the Hoosiers’ 13.
And yet, Indiana snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after a near-two-minute closing stretch in which seemingly nothing went its way.
“The kid hits a big bucket, and then we just didn’t regroup from that point on,” Woodson said. “And you got to give them credit because their defense picked up when it needed to. They got a big steal out of our possession, and we threw it away. So, I mean, that was the difference in the game I thought coming down the stretch.”
Woodson added he has no complaints about the Hoosiers’ toughness in the aftermath of Indiana Athletics announcing Woodson won’t return at the end of the season. Indiana has fought time and again, and Woodson implied a conversation about the team’s tournament hopes wouldn’t happen if the Hoosiers caught a break at various points.
But sometimes, teams make their own luck. And Indiana, on several occasions this season, has shot itself in the foot instead.
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.
