Oregon’s Late Run Buries Indiana 73-64; Woodson Rips Officials

EUGENE, Ore. – Indiana defended Oregon hard for the first 17 seconds of the decisive late possession, but all that mattered were the final three.

With the Hoosiers leading by one with less than two minutes left Tuesday night, Indiana forced Oregon to work the ball around before Ducks center Nate Bittle caught the ball at the top of the key and kicked it out to Jackson Shelstad at least five steps behind the 3-point line. Indiana’s Anthony Leal sagged off the Oregon sharpshooter a step too much, and Shelstad made him pay by burying the deep three.

The shot gave Oregon a two-point lead with 1:30 to play, less than a minute after Trey Galloway put the Hoosiers ahead by one with 1:58 to play. Shelstad’s dagger was the start of a 10-0 Oregon run down the stretch of a 74-63 Ducks victory at Matthew Knight Arena.

“I don’t think – we didn’t defend it well,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “We didn’t, because Bittle caught the ball up top, Anthony was sucked in, and all he had to do was stay out. We did not defend it well. I mean, make Bittle be the guy that beats you. Jackson has shown he can make shots and beat you, and he did. It was a big shot when we were up one.”

Jackson Shelstad is like that! 🔥 Big time three for @OregonMBB pic.twitter.com/plc1EMMlwu
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 5, 2025

With this loss, Indiana falls to 18-12 overall and 9-10 in Big Ten play. Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology on Tuesday morning projected Indiana among the last four byes into the NCAA Tournament, meaning the Hoosiers would avoid playing in the First Four in Dayton. But its loss at Oregon puts Indiana’s tournament hopes in the balance.

After Shelstad’s three, Indiana still had its chances. But Galloway turned the ball over as Bittle stepped in front of his entry pass to Oumar Ballo. Galloway then fouled Bittle, who made both free throws. Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako got an open look at a corner three the following possession but missed, and Shelstad sank both ensuing free throws to put Oregon ahead, 70-64.

A missed mid-range jumper by Myles Rice and a Luke Goode turnover were followed by more Oregon free throws to seal the victory. Galloway’s three at the 1:58 mark would be Indiana’s last points in the otherwise back-and-forth game.

“I just thought we poorly executed our offense, and we had good calls, good play calls made, but we just didn’t – they took us out of it,” Woodson said. “That’s something that we gotta learn from. When it’s nut-cutting time, you gotta step up and make plays, which we’ve been doing. We’ve been making good basketball plays down the stretch, but tonight we didn’t.”

The Hooosiers put themselves in contention, but more late-game failures sent them home from their Pacific Northwest trip with a loss and a 1-1 split on the long road trip.

“The kid hits a big bucket, and then we just didn’t regroup from that point on,” Woodson said. “And you gotta give them credit because their defense picked up when it needed to. They got a big steal out of our possession, and we threw it away. So I mean, that was the difference in the game I thought coming down the stretch.”

"It was a one-point game with three or four minutes on the clock. We get that stop, he hits a bomb on us. You know? Got them back the momentum they needed to secure the game, we didn't regroup from that. We struggled from that shot [on]."

Mike Woodson Indiana Basketball — Indiana coach Mike Woodson talks to the referee during Tuesday's game against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Woodson was especially upset with a free throw attempt margin that finished 21 to seven in favor of Oregon. It was fairly even in the first half as officials called seven fouls on Oregon and three on Indiana. That led to five free throw attempts for Indiana and four for Oregon in the first 20 minutes.

But the Hoosiers were whistled for 12 fouls in the second half, while the Ducks were called for just five. Indiana attempted two free throws in the final 20 minutes, and Oregon took 17. For the game, Indiana went 3 for 7 at the line, and Oregon went 19 for 21.

“We had our chances. But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7,” Woodson said. “You gotta be kidding me. 21-7 on f—--- free throws is b—----. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.”

“It is what it is. I can’t go back and get it. But in a physical game like that where both teams are battling their asses off, you can’t punish one team and put one team at the line for 21 times and the other team only gets there seven times. That’s awful.”

Galloway led the Hoosiers with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers. He became Indiana’s all-time leader in games played with 138. Despite his play, Woodson lamented Indiana’s rebounding, which allowed Oregon to grab 15 offensive rebounds and score 23 second-chance points. The Ducks finished with a 43-36 rebounding advantage.

"[Galloway] played great, I can't fault our effort tonight,” Woodson said. “We got to be better on rebounding the basketball. We got out-rebounded tonight, I thought that was a big difference as well."

Trey Galloway Indiana Basketball — Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) dribbles against Oregon's Keeshawn Barthelemy (9) at Matthew Knight Arena. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Ballo finished with a double-double, 10 points and 12 rebounds. But after an efficient 22-point game Saturday at Washington, Malik Reneau finished with eight points on 4-for-12 shooting. Indiana went 9 for 26 from 3-point range, good for 36%, and shot 40% from the field. Kanaan Carlyle gave Indiana a boost off the bench, making a pair of threes for the first time since Dec. 9.

Shelstad led the Ducks with 17 points, followed by Bittle with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and TJ Bamba with 13 points. Oregon shot just 39.3% from the field and 6 for 25, or 24%, from beyond the arc. The Ducks led for over 28 minutes, but Indiana fought back to take the lead with 1:58 to play.

Next up, Indiana wraps up the regular season with senior day against Ohio State Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers defeated the Buckeyes in the season’s first matchup 77-76 in overtime in Columbus.

"I have no complaints. These guys have been fighting, fighting and fighting,” Woodson said. “We have a break here or there, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We are in the mix of a battle, we got a chance to get to the Big Ten Tournament and anything can happen when you get into tournament play yet. Right now, we are staring Ohio State in the face and we got to go figure that out."

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