Rodney Rice hit a game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining.
Maryland men’s basketball narrowly escaped Bloomington, Indiana, with a win Sunday afternoon, taking down Indiana, 79-78.
After leading for much of the game, Rodney Rice was called upon to bail the Terps out, and he came through, knocking down a game-winning three with seven seconds remaining. He scored a game-high 23 points, his third 20-point performance of the season.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Maryland nearly blew it
Maryland led for nearly the entire second half and much of the game, almost 30 minutes of game time. The Terps also held a 10-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, but still trailed by two points before Rice hit the game-winner.
Much of the blown lead was just a result of good offense by the Hoosiers. Myles Rice drilled two threes and Malik Reneau made two shots in the paint in less than two minutes to cut Maryland’s lead to one point.
The Terps’ offense was also stale, relying on Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Derik Queen and Rodney Rice to win one-on-one.
After Gillespie hit a floater with 28 seconds remaining, Maryland was forced to play the foul game still down by two points. But luckily for the Terps, Trey Galloway missed the first free-throw attempt, giving them a chance to tie or win the game with 18 seconds remaining, and Rodney Rice chose the latter.
A battle of frontcourts
Sunday featured a battle between two of the best frontcourts in the Big Ten. The Terps were led by senior Julian Reese and Queen, while the Hoosiers boasted the Big Ten’s leading rebounder in Oumar Ballo and Mackenzie Mgbako, who averaged 12.4 points per game prior to Sunday.
Indiana’s duo played better Sunday, though. Ballo scored a team-high 10 points in the first half, but Mgbako led the team in scoring by the end of the game. He scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and corralled five rebounds. His ability to space the floor provided easier looks for Ballo and the rest of the team in the paint, as he shot 2-of-5 from beyond the arc Sunday.
While Reese had a strong night in his own right, totaling 14 points and 10 rebounds. Queen struggled at times, particularly in the first half. Over the first 20 minutes of the game, he scored just four points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field, often settling for jump shots. Much of Queen’s success depended on who guarded him. He looked comfortable and aggressive against 6-foot-7 Luke Goode, but seemed to avoid contact with Ballo, who is listed at 7-foot and 265 pounds.
On the defensive end, Queen was sometimes swallowed up in pick-and-rolls, but still contributed two blocks and a steal. He finished the game with seven points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Reese and Queen combined for 52 points and 23 rebounds Thursday at No. 17 Illinois, but did not find the same success Sunday despite the win.
Another road win
Maryland has been combatting negative narratives this week. With wins over Illinois and Indiana, the Terps are now 2-4 on the road this season.
The win over Illinois was also Maryland’s second ranked win of the season, proving they can beat good teams after starting 0-3 against ranked opponents, while Sunday showed the Terps can win close games. Maryland started the season 1-4 in games decided by six points or less, but it’s now 4-5.
With the wins, the Terps have sole possession of fifth place in the Big Ten standings, which was locked in a five-way tie prior to Sunday.
Maryland, on a three-game win streak — its longest in Big Ten play — heads back to Xfinity Center Wednesday for its next game against No. 18 Wisconsin and a chance to move up a spot in the conference standings.