At the buzzer: Indiana 76, Ohio State 73 – Indoor

Quick thoughts on the 76-73 win at Ohio State:

how did that happen

Indiana was lukewarm Tuesday at Ohio State. Mike Woodson's teams have usually been able to bounce back from tough performances in the past, but this version of the Hoosiers had no urgency against the Buckeyes. Ohio State didn't play particularly well, but it didn't matter as Indiana shot 9-for-27 and scored just 0.76 points per possession in the first 20 minutes. Rudy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton, who struggled in the first game in Bloomington, combined for 22 points in the first half. It was enough for Ohio State to go into the locker room with a comfortable cushion 42-29.

The Buckeyes extended the lead to 18 on two occasions early in the second half as the Hoosiers continued to lack a fight outside the locker room. But Indiana didn't fold. The Hoosiers got within nine points at 51-42 on a Trey Galloway jumper, but the Buckeyes immediately answered with a 3-pointer from Jamison Battle to make it 54-42 with 13:18 to play. The Hoosiers got within eight points on a Malik Reno free throw with 11:37 left, but Ohio State scored the next five points to extend the lead to 13 with 10:33 remaining.

Indiana cut the Buckeye advantage to seven on a Trey Galloway 3-pointer with 6:34 remaining. The Hoosiers got within four at 65-61 when Reno split a pair of free throws with 5:37 left. Galloway's bucket made it 65-63 Ohio State with five minutes left and Galloway drew an offensive foul to get the ball back with 4:55 left. Indiana's 10-0 run was halted by a pair of free throws by Gayle Jr., but Galloway came back on the next possession and made a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game.

Indiana trailed by just one at the final media timeout and had the ball. The Hoosiers took a 70-69 lead on a Kel'el Ware bucket and had a chance to extend it to three with Anthony Leal on the line. But Leal split free throws to make it 71-69 and Ohio State's Jamison Battle scored on the next possession to make it 71 with 1:40 left to play. No one scored the next minute until Mackenzie Mgbako fouled out with 37.6 seconds left, sending Battle to the goal line. He hit both to make it 73-71 Ohio State and Indiana took a timeout with 32.6 seconds left. After the timeout, a layup by Leal with 22.4 seconds left gave the Hoosiers a 74-73 lead. Leal made two free throws, and Bruce Thornton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Indiana its 14th win.

Outstanding performers

Galloway scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half with four assists. Reno scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Leal was impressive off the bench with six points, including the three-pointer.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana was great defensively in the second half, holding Ohio State to 31 points on 8-for-25 shooting. The Buckeyes scored just .969 points per possession in the final 20 minutes.

IU's final individual stats

Rhythm-free final statistics

Post-game show Assembly Call

(Image credit: IU Athletics)

Submitted to: Ohio State Books