Indiana Bounces Back, Gets Emphatic Blowout Victory Over No. 13 Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sometimes a little tongue-lashing can go a long way. It certainly worked on Indiana All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The 6-foot-9 junior got called out by Indiana coach Mike Woodson after Indiana lost at Penn State on Sunday, but Jackson-Davis responded with a 27-point, 12-rebound, 5-block night in leading the Hoosiers to a convincing 67-51 victory over No. 13-ranked Ohio State.
It was, quite simply, "the best game we played all season,'' Woodson said. "We did a lot of good things tonight on both ends of the floor.''
Indiana, 11-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, is unbeaten at home this season, winning 10 straight games now. The Buckeyes were the first ranked team to visit Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but that meant nothing to the Hoosiers. After that bad loss on the road, they were dead set on turning things around quickly.
And they did just that.
"So basically, he told me I needed to rebound harder, but I didn't think I just needed to rebound harder, I needed to play harder all across the board,'' Jackson-Davis said of his chat with Woodson. "He's not going to go out and call me out about every aspect of my game.
"But I got the message, and it was loud and clear. Me and him have that relationship. He can call me out in front of whoever he wants, but I'm going to prove him wrong and I'm going to bring it the next game.''
Indiana's defense has been great all season, and it was terrific in the second half, where they held the Buckeyes to just six field goals and a 26.1 shooting percentage. Jackson-Davis was a huge defensive presence inside, and Ohio State made just one two-point basket the entire half.
It was still a one-point game at the 10-minute mark in the second half, but Indiana completely dominated from there. That was huge, because the Hoosiers have failed to finish in all three of their losses, falling by a combined total of 10 points to Syracuse, Wisconsin and Penn State.
That wasn't going to happen on Thursday. And an unlikely source made sure of that.
Sophomore guard Trey Galloway provided an instant boost in his first return to game action since fracturing his wrist on Nov. 17 against St. John's. He played 19 minutes off the bench, including the final 12 critical minutes. He scored eight points, had four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
He also provided boundless amounts of energy.
'A few weeks ago, they asked me how Trey was doing and I told people he'd come back even better,'' Jackson-Davis said. "He adds that much-need spark off the bench. He gives a great spark.''
Galloway's energy level was a big reason why Woodson rode him all the way to the finish. His active hands added to Indiana's sticky defense and his attacks to the basket paid off on the other end, either with a hoop or a nice assist.
"I'm going to play guys that play hard,'' Woodson said, adding that he hoped others noticed Galloway's effort level. "If I see that you're not giving me that, you're going to come sit next to me.''
Jackson-Davis had 16 first-half points as the two teams traded blows most of the way. Ohio State jumped out to an early 15-7 lead, but then the Hoosiers got baskets from Michael Durr and Rob Phinisee, and Jackson-Davis made to free throws. When Jordan Geronimo hit a three, the tied was tied at 16-all with 9:01 to go in the half.
Neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way until Indiana's Xavier Johnson hit a jumper just before the halftime buzzer to give the Hoosiers a 33-30 lead at the break.
It stayed close until those final 10 minutes. Indiana locked down defensively, and the Buckeyes, who were 3-0 in the Big Ten, just didn't have an answer. Even star E.J. Liddell didn't do much. He scored just 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
"I thought we had a great week of practice. We had a little sit-down as a team, and it showed,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Rebounding, that was thing for me, and sprinting the floor. We outhustled their bigs, and we got a lot of easy looks at the rim.
"Our defense was great, I thought. I just think that it's Coach Woodson's philosophy, to be honest with you. We listed to what he says.''
That includes criticism, which Jackson-Davis embraces from Woodson ''because we have that kind of relationship,'' he said.
Woodson concurs.
"I expect him to play like that. I was kind of harsh on him more than anybody,'' Woodson said. "He defended the rim tonight, and that's how he's got to be. And he rebounded. When you're considered one of the best players in the country, you've got to be challenged. He wants to be coached, and he's coachable. Tonight was a prime example of that.''
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was impressed with what the Hoosiers threw at them, especially defensively. The Buckeyes had scored at least 67 points in every other game this season.
“Give Indiana credit. I thought they played really well,'' Holtmann said. "We obviously have to do some things a lot better, but I want to give them credit. I thought (Indiana's defense) was really good. We obviously have to figure out a better plan, a better attack. We’ve got to do some things better, but give them a lot of credit. I thought their defense was as good as we thought it was going to be.”
Ohio State got flustered by the attacking defense as well. They had a hard time. getting into sets, and and even harder time finishing
“We’ve had that in other games. I just think having Trayce (Jackson-Davis) on the back line really presents a lot of problems,'' Holtmann said. "His ability to play on the back line and do some things there makes in difficult., But, all in all, we missed some open shots too, but give their defense credit.”
While Galloway was recovering from surgery, he made a point of pushing his training to stay in top shape. He knew when he left wrist healed, that he didn't want to miss a beat when he got back in the lineup,.
He didn't.
"The one thing was conditioning. Our strength coach really pushed me to stay in shape, stay ready and keep my body conditioned,'' Galloway said.''
Woodson was glad to have him back. He made Indiana better.
"It was a total team effort. When we left Penn State, we knew that was a very winnable game,'' Woodson said. "We had a couple of days to prepare and they were a little down when we got back. It took a little bit to get over it.''
Getting the win gets the Hoosiers back on track. And Galloway helped a lot.
"Before he got hurt, it was in the rotation. We knew that was a piece that was missing,'' Woodson said. "We patiently waited for him to get back, and he responded tonight.
"We needed this (winning at home. The crowd was fabulous. They've always been great. You've got to beat good teams, and you've got to win at home. We've just got to take it one game at a time. Minnesota is next.''
The Hoosiers host Minnesota on Sunday. The game starts at Noon ET.
Related stories on Indiana's win over Ohio State
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Here's what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said after Indiana's win over Ohio State, with the full video of his press conference plus the transcript. CLICK HERE
- WHAT PLAYERS SAID: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Trey Galloway met with the media after the Hoosiers' win over Ohio State on Thursday night. Here's the full video, and the full transcript, of their interviews. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Here are a few dozens photos from Indiana's win over Ohio State on Thursday. Take a slow stroll through the best win of the season. CLICK HERE
