With two seconds on the shot clock, Jalen Hood-Schifino pulled up for the three-point shot, draining the shot from deep. Indiana pulled ahead by nine with just two minutes remaining in the game, diminishing Maryland’s chances of advancing to the next round.
After trampling past No. 14 Minnesota in a dominant 70-54 victory, the No. 6 Maryland took another crack at No. 3 Indiana in the quarterfinasl rof the 2023 Big Ten Tournament.
Maryland entered the matchup with a 3-1 neutral site record after notching wins earlier this season against St. Louis and Miami at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic and against Tennessee at the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational. Adding one more win to that record on Friday night would have sent Maryland to the Big Ten’s semi-final round for the first time since 2016, but ultimately, the Terps fell short, losing 60-70.
“I was proud of them,” head coach Kevin Willard said post-game. “I really thought the missed goaltending call was huge, that was a real momentum changer. But I love the fact that we were down ten, cut it down to six. I think we played pretty darn good.”
Indiana started the game off hotter than Maryland, scoring on five straight possessions as the Terps struggled to put the ball through the net. In the first five minutes, Maryland shot for just 37% as Indiana was shooting for 68%.
Nearly ten minutes into the first half, Don Carey knocked down a three from deep, sending Maryland ahead of Indiana for the first time in the game. A free throw from Jahmir Young on the next possession put the Terps ahead by a narrow two points.
Maryland’s sudden burst of momentum developed into an 11-0 run, ending with a three-pointer from Jahmir Young before Indiana’s head coach Mike Woodson called a timeout. The Terps led by seven points with roughly eight minutes left in the half.
Hakim Hart found himself double-teamed, passing the ball out to Donta Scott, who was open just beyond the arc. Scott drained the three-point shot, capping off Maryland’s lead right before Indiana managed to regain its offensive power.
Indiana drew close as the final minutes of the first half expired, trailing Maryland just 32-34 when the buzzer sounded.
The leaders for Maryland at half were Hart (eight points, three assists), Jahmir Young (six points, three steals), Don Carey (six points), and Julian Reese (five points, four rebounds).
Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis stood out as the clear leaders for Indiana, with 10 and nine points, respectively. Malik Reneau followed behind with six points and six rebounds.
“I think everybody that played tonight played a major role in us winning. Fortunately for us, we do have Trayce, and Jalen has been playing at a high level as well,” Woodson said. “But it was a total team effort, and we’re going to need that as we continue this journey.”
A layup and a three-point jumper from Scott on back-to-back possessions gave the Terps a five-point lead as Indiana found itself in a lengthy scoring drought to start the second half. A layup from Hart advanced the lead to seven before Miller Kopp managed a three-pointer for Indiana.
Indiana produced a 9-2 run from Kopp’s three-pointer, tying the game with just thirteen minutes to play and forcing a timeout from Coach Willard.
“Miller is huge for our team,” Jackson-Davis said post-game. “Not only does he hit big shots but he’s also playing as hard as he can on the defensive end of the floor, and I think that’s something he doesn’t get enough credit for.”
Shortly after the timeout, Julian Reese fouled Jalen Hood-Schifino, receiving his fourth personal foul of the night. Coach Willard sent Patrick Emilien in for Reese as Indiana retook the lead at the free throw line.
As the game clock passed the final ten-minute mark, Maryland missed its twelfth-straight shot while Indiana advanced on a 15-0 run.
“They got a lot of transition buckets, so I think that’s really where they hurt us at,” Don Carey said in regards to Indiana’s hot-streak. “We struggled to get it going offensively early in the second half as well.”
With seven and a half minutes left, Patrick Emilien fouled Hood-Schifino on a jump shot, becoming the second Terp to earn their fourth personal foul. He fouled out three minutes later, sending Julian Reese back in the game.
Maryland trailed by ten points in the final minute and a half. Scott missed a three-point shot in the final seconds, allowing Trayce Jackson-Davis to grab hold of the ball and drain the clock out.
“We’re going into the national tournament with the same mindset,” Scott said in his post-game presser. “We’re going to play hard, stay aggressive, and really try to get back into our practices and get after it.”
The point-leaders for Maryland were Hakim Hart (16 points), Jahmir Young (12 points), Don Carey (11 points), and Donta Scott (10 points).
The Indiana Hoosiers were led by Trayce Jackson-Davis (24 points), Jalen Hood-Schifino (19 points), and Miller Kopp (10 points).
