Indiana Opens Big Ten Play With Convincing 65-53 Win Over Maryland
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana hasn't done a lot through November to feel too comfortable about entering Big Ten play, but the Hoosiers put together their best game of the season on Friday night and came away with a solid 65-53 win over Maryland at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers are 6-1 now, with their only loss to No. 4 Connecticut, but they barely won their first three home games, which were supposed to be easy, and had several areas of concern. Throw in the fact that starting point guard Xavier Johnson was out with a foot injury Friday night, and it had Hoosier Nation a bit on edge as league play began.
But the Hoosiers never left any doubt. They jumped out to an early 16-4 margin and their lead reached 23 points midway through the second half. They struggled a bit with Maryland's press in the closing minutes
Indiana had four scorers in double figures, led by Kel'el Ware with 18 points. Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako had 13 points, Trey Galloway had 12 and Malik Reneau 11.
Indiana also had a huge rebounding edge (46-30), which is something that's been an issue all year. Mgbako and Galloway had seven and six each, providing much needed rebounding from the perimeter guys.
'It makes a big difference,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said of his wings helping out so much on the boards. "Our wings had to get in there, and we can't put all the pressure on our big guys to get every rebound.
"The Big Ten is tough, so if you don't come and meet the challenge you be exposed as a team,'' Woodson said. "I thought we were the more aggressive team tonight."
Indiana's defense was spectacular most of the night. Maryland shot just 32.5 percent from the field and made just 2-of-16 three-pointers. They came into the game ranked No. 347 out of 351 NCAA teams in 3-point shooting, and they showed why
"I thought we were connected tonight and we didn't give many threes,'' Woodson said. "Defensively, I thought we were solid for 40 minutes.I thought our switching was right on par and we didn't let them get into the teeth of our defense very much.''
They certainly were. During the Woodson era, this was just the third time they held an opponent to 53 points or less. The other two were against Ohio State (51) in 2022 and Wisconsin (45) last season.
Johnson, who watched the game in street clothes, is Indiana's best perimeter defender, but they didn't miss a beat in his absence. Freshman Gabe Cubbs made his first career start and didn't score, but he was aggressive defensively and had two steals.
Galloway picked up the slack with the ballhandling, too. He was 6-for-10 shooting and had six rebounds and six assists. It's the first time in his four years at Indiana that he;'s had at least six rebounds AND six assists in a game.
"I was pleased with his play from beginning to end,'' Woodson said of Galloway.
Galloway has been through the Big Ten wars, and he knew this wouldn't be easy ag aginst a Maryland team (4-4) that wanted to make a statement, too. But this was all about Indiana, and starting out well mattered a lot.
"It's good just to get the feel of what the Big Ten is like. To get a little taste of it is good,'' Galloway said. "Any time you're at home, you want to get off to a good start. It wasn't just offense, too. We played some great defense early.
"We've got two freshmen starting (Cupps and Mgbako), and I need to pull those guys along. I'm a senior, and that's my job. We've got a lot of guys that can score, and we've got to be ready to go to other options. We're not too worried about who scores. We just want the win.''
Ware, the transfer from Oregon, played well in his Big Ten debut. He had 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, plus 14 rebounds, often while being double- and triple-teamed. He played 33 minutes and 25 seconds, and had just one turnover.
“I thought he did a great job demanding the ball and holding his own,” Woodson said.
Ware is a 7-footer who likes to spread the floor, and he is capable of knocking down threes. He had one early in the Hoosiers' fast start, but he spent most of the time working hard to get good looks in the paint.
Mission accomplished.
"Even if they keep sending people at me, I know I can still find guys,'' Ware said. "Our guards, they were more active tonight. They were cutting, and attacking the basket.''
The game marked the return of Jordan Geronimo to Assembly Hall. The forward played three years at Indiana before transferring to Maryland in the offseason. He had a rough night. He was 0-for-5 shooting from the field, and missed all three 3-point attempts. He also missed a free throw and had three turnovers.
Indiana is back in action on Tuesday night when it takes on the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET and is Indiana's first game on the Peacock streaming service this season.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- WARE'S BIG NIGHT: Center Kel'el Ware led the Hoosiers with 18 points and 14 rebounds in Friday night's win over Maryland, proving he has what it takes to succeed in the physical Big Ten. CLICK HERE
- WOODSON'S POSTGAME COMMENTS: Here's everything Indiana coach Mike Woodson said after the Hoosiers' 65-53 win in their Big Ten opener against Maryland. CLICK HERE
