What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's 76-73 Win At Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana trailed by 18 points during Tuesday's game at Ohio State, but the Hoosiers mounted an incredible comeback to win 76-73.
Here's the full transcript of coach Mike Woodson's postgame press conference.
On senior leadership and what a team learns about itself from a comeback win...
Woodson: "It means a lot, it's how it should be. I think back to when I played, the coach put it on the senior guys to lead and do things to help us win, hold other guys accountable. I thought tonight Gallo was huge in the second half. Our defense was solid in the second half, you hold this team to 31 points, that was the difference in getting back into the ballgame. Gallo coming down the stretch and Anthony making the big three was huge. Then getting the stop we needed when we stole the ball. It was big time."
On Anthony Leal's late 3-pointer and confidence in him...
Woodson: "Confidence level is he's on the floor, letting him go in crunch. No matter who makes the shot, you have a wide open shot and you deliver for us. That's what basketball is all about, you try to put people in position and able to come through, you live with it, and if they don't come through, you live with that and hope the next time you are in that position then they do come through."
On if that was he shot he wanted...
Woodson: "That's the shot we got. It counts, so that's all that matters."
On Trey Galloway's play in the second half...
Woodson: "Listen, our seniors can't hide. It's what it is. They are out there to try to make a difference. We needed good perimeter play. Our front line has been solid pretty much all season for us. We've had our struggles out front, I thought Gallo was huge tonight. He stepped up and wanted the ball, we put him in a lot of situations where we had the ball in his hands and ran pick and rolls and ran plays and he delivered."
On what changed defensively in the second half...
Woodson: "We were all over the place. They weren't running away the first half, the fouling and we gave them the easy buckets. You got to give them credit. They are a proud basketball team trying to figure it out too. But the second half, we started to cut the lead our defense got even tougher at that particular time. We were rebounding the ball, that was the big emphasis coming in. In our place, it wasn't even close on the rebounds. We came in and try to win the rebounding game to give ourselves a chance."
On how far Trey Galloway has come running Indiana's offense without Xavier Johnson...
Woodson: "I thought last year he shot the ball better from the 3-point line. He had the opportunity and latitude to have the ball in his hands some, but Jalen had the ball in his hands as well. I don't know when X is going to be back. He's doubtful. It's going to put a lot of pressure on Gallo, Gabe, Anthony and CJ, guys that are coming in the game to handle the ball and make basketball plays."
On Malik Reneau's frustration and how he overcame that...
Woodson: "It was tough, the call, I thought it was goaltending. Maybe it wasn't, he thought it was too. Emotionally he kind of lost it, you can't do that, but he didn't stop playing. You got to move on to the next play and I thought he did. That whole group is just solid bringing it home tonight."
On keeping team under control, trusting players to do that...
Woodson: "No, I mean everyone that was playing out there, they knew what was at stake. We've been struggling. This was a game where we knew we had to come in here and play well because they didn't forget what happen in our place. I thought they played extremely well in the first half and held a comfortable lead. It was our defense and rebounding, making good offensive decisions coming down the stretch that allowed us to come out with the win in the end."
On what it takes to make a comeback like that on the road...
Woodson: "Just stay focused. We've had some runs at home this season when we were down and made some big runs and ended up catching up and winning the game. But you don't like being in those positions very often. The focus was there, we didn't quit. We just kept fighting and fighting until we finally made things bounce our way. The result was a win."
On Xavier Johnson status...
Woodson: "He's just doubtful right now, don't know how long really. I don't."
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- IU-OSU GAME STORY: Indiana came back from an 18-point deficit to defeat Ohio State 76-73 Tuesday night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 26 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and Trey Galloway scored 25 points. Though he only attempted one shot, Anthony Leal hit the biggest one all night. CLICK HERE
- WATCH LEAL'S 3: Indiana senior guard Anthony Leal hit a huge 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play Tuesday night, giving the Hoosiers a late lead over Ohio State. That shot proved to be enough, as Indiana defeated the Buckeyes 76-73 in Columbus, overcoming an 18-point deficit. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana staged a dramatic comeback to upset Ohio State on Tuesday night in Columbus. Here are the best pictures from the game. CLICK HERE
