BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana basketball team was at the wrong end of a wild finish on Sunday afternoon.
Maryland guard Rodney Rice hit an off-balance 3-pointer with seven seconds to go after nearly losing his dribble to stun the crowd at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers starting guard Myles Rice missed a wild shot from deep in the corner at the buzzer.
The Hoosiers (14-6; 5-4 Big Ten) lost 79-78 after erasing a nine-point deficit in the final minutes. They played with an intensity that was lacking in recent weeks with Anthony Leal coming through with clutch defensive plays and baskets, but it wasn’t enough.
The Terps (15-5; 5-4) impressive 3-point shooting display — they were 12 of 24 and 8 of 14 in the second half — was a key difference. Rice had a game-high 23 points with five 3-pointers and his backcourt mate Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 18 points with four 3-pointers.
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Indiana was a much better team in the second half when Myles Rice found his shot — he had three made 3-pointers and scored 14 of his 16 points in the half — and put the Hoosiers on his shoulders. His 3-pointer with 4:00 to go gave IU its first lead of the second half.
It was in stark contrast to how he played early when his most notable moment was a travel violation after trying to take Rodney Rice off the dribble.
The flashy attempt at a bucket immediately got him pulled from the floor.
In the month of January, he’s shooting just 37% from the field and he’s struggled as a facilitator with more turnovers (nine) than assists (four) over the team’s last three games. It’s reminiscent of the struggles he went through during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament as he tried to adjust to Mike Woodson’s system and establish chemistry with his many new teammates.
Indiana desperately needs more consistency from the former Washington State point guard who was one of Woodson’s prized transfer signees in the offseason.
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And it was a short-lived revival in the first half.
Malik Reneau was back in the starting lineup for the first time in nearly a month. He missed five straight games with a knee injury he suffered against Rutgers and came off the bench in his first game back.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson replaced Luke Goode for Reneau to counter a Maryland team that features 6-foot-10 Derik Queen starting alongside 6-foot-9 Julian Reese, but he picked up two fouls with 10:38 to go in the first half and only ended up playing six minutes before halftime.
Maryland controlled the boards with Reneau off the floor — it had a 20-16 advantage at the half including 10 offensive rebounds — and Oumar Ballo was forced to play all 20 minutes before the break.
The other problem for Reneau is that he’s clearly not yet 100%. He continues to wear a brace on his right knee and hasn’t had the same kind of touch around the basket that’s a central part to his game. He’s gone 5 of 20 from the field in IU’s last two games.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball drops stunner at home to Maryland
