Indiana’s victory over Penn State sustains hopes for the NCAA Tournament.
In the match between Penn State and Indiana on Wednesday night, with just over five minutes remaining, it appeared as though the Hoosiers might squander all of the momentum they had built up from their decisive victory over Purdue on Sunday afternoon. The Hoosiers never fell behind again as Trey Galloway made two straight 3-pointers to put Indiana ahead 73-69. This game was a defensive duel, as seen by the high final score,
with Penn State committing 12 turnovers and Indiana giving it up 14 times against the pressure defense of the Nittany Lions. However, Indiana was able to cash in on 18 points from Penn State’s mistakes while limiting their scores off turnovers, giving up only 10 points from their giveaways. For both sides, this game was a little out of the ordinary statistically. Despite having good shooters, neither team’s 3-point percentage is in the top 150. However, last night, Indiana dominated,
going 10-15 (66.7%), while the Nittany Lions were the cooler team from outside the arc, shooting 38.9%. Mike Woodson had to use a smaller lineup since the Hoosiers were without Malik Reneau, which gave Indiana’s offense more space to make the 3-point explosion. But with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and a remarkable five assists against just two mistakes, Oumar Ballo continued to dominate inside.
Galloway led Indiana in assists with nine, while Ballo came in second. Galloway was Indiana’s starting point guard and was in charge of that position for the majority of the game, even though Myles Rice came in and made some significant baskets for the Hoosiers in the second half. Although he recorded nine assists for the second consecutive game, Penn State’s defense did pose a challenge, forcing six Galloway turnovers. In his 23 minutes on the court, Rice also turned it over four times,
which may have contributed to Woodson’s decision to bench him in this game. With his calmness and experience in the lineup, Anthony Leal earned his coach another start, his tenth of the season. He finished with four rebounds, three assists, and six points. Even if his numbers don’t particularly stand out, Leal was able to influence victory by being in the right place at the right moment. With less than two minutes remaining, Leal came out of the scrum with a hotly contested defensive rebound after Penn State made a 3-pointer that would have reduced Indiana’s advantage to one point. In order to maintain their unblemished Quad Two record and their postseason prospects, the Hoosiers must now go to Washington to win a game.
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