Indiana Seniors Go Out As Winners At Assembly Hall, But ‘Not Done Yet’
Indiana had been in similar situations before, and many times, it didn’t go the Hoosiers’ way.
In Indiana losses like the one at Purdue, where Trey Kaufman-Renn hit a contested jump hook in the final seconds; or against Maryland, when Rodney Rice hit a three with seven seconds to go; or just last week at Oregon, when Jackson Shelstad buried a 35-footer down the stretch, Indiana was on the wrong side of late-game heroics. Recent losses to UCLA and Michigan weren’t too different, either.
But Saturday – Senior Day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Ohio State, with NCAA Tournament hopes on the line – it was Indiana’s turn to make all the right plays when it mattered most. The Hoosiers saved most of those for the final five minutes, when they trailed by five points after struggling mightily on offense all day.
Oddly enough, the run began just after Hoosiers center Oumar Ballo missed the front end of a one-and-one trip to the free throw line. Luke Goode fought hard for the rebound, and Ohio State’s Micah Parrish mishandled it on the way down, giving possession back to Indiana. The Buckeyes lost Trey Galloway on the following in-bounds play, and he made them pay with a three with 4:27 to play, now just a two-point deficit.
Indiana went right to Malik Reneau on the next two possessions, and he sank four free throws after drawing fouls. Between those plays, Ohio State’s Devin Royal missed a pair of free throws, and Indiana forced a deep, contested three by John Mobley Jr., who missed. After a few defensive stops from both teams, the defining moment of Senior Day played out in improbable fashion.
Mobley dribbled the ball off his foot, and it rolled all the way across halfcourt and out of bounds near the Indiana bench. By rule, the shot clock reset to just 20 seconds for the next Indiana possession because the ball went out of bounds on the Hoosiers’ end.
That happens often when a rebound gets tipped out, for example, but this was a rare occurrence. All parties were understandably confused.
Galloway casually dribbled up the court, thinking Indiana had the full 30-second shot clock to work with. But as he crossed half court, he pointed to the referee that the shot clock was already down to 15 seconds – a malfunction, he thought. Indiana coach Mike Woodson, assistants and players joined in the debate.
As it turns out, Indiana was unfamiliar with the rule because of how infrequently that situation plays out. That didn’t end up mattering, though. Galloway sized up Bruce Thornton with a few crossover dribbles, rose up with a hand in his face and knocked down one of the biggest shots of his basketball career.
Galloway and Woodson candidly explained the collective confusion of that sequence.
“We didn’t know the rule,” Galloway said. “I don’t think anybody around the court really knew the rule that it resets to 20. So I thought it might have been a clock malfunction or something. That’s why I was trying to get the ref’s attention. So we knew we had to go, and then we just kind of called for a high ball screen. Then the play design kind of broke down, and I just trusted my shot and it went in. So it was good.”
The Assembly Hall crowd exploded, perhaps louder than it had all season, as the Hoosiers took a 61-56 lead with 1:24 to play. Thornton’s knees buckled in disbelief, much like Indiana had done in previous losses when opponents hit tough shots down the stretch.
“It was great. I mean, just happy that we got the win on Senior Day,” Galloway said. “That’s what I’ll remember the most, is winning and going out as a winner at Assembly Hall. That’s what I’ll remember.”
Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako combined for five free throws in the final 1:05, sealing the 66-60 victory. For Goode, after the initial shock, it felt nice to be on the other end of a clutch shot.
“Well, I didn’t believe it,” Goode said of Galloway’s three. “I said to myself out loud, I said, ‘Oh,’ and then ‘s-h-i-t,’ and I was pretty happy because it was a big shot. I feel like some of the games we’ve lost earlier, other teams have hit big shots against us. … It was good to see one of them go down for us.”
Galloway and Reneau led the Hoosiers with 16 points, and Galloway added six assists and two rebounds in 34 minutes. Leal and Goode played over 32 minutes, and each grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
“All three of us take a lot of pride in wearing this jersey and representing it the right way, and we know what it means growing up as kids here,” Leal said, sitting next to Galloway and Goode. “We look forward to that challenge and knowing that with us as leaders and us as a foundation, we are going to be willing to overcome a lot of things if we just keep chipping away. For us, it’s almost like a dream come true, being senior guards coming down the end of the year going into March.”
Galloway has faced adversity throughout his Indiana career, undergoing surgeries for knee, wrist and groin injuries three separate years.
Galloway was also the target of boos from the Assembly Hall crowd during Indiana’s 25-point loss to Illinois on Jan. 14. He’s tried his best to block out the negative outside noise and focus on what he and his teammates can control.
“My dad’s always telling me, if you listen to the crowd, you’re going to be sitting with them,” Galloway said. “That really hit home. I was like, you can’t really worry about what’s going on on the outside. All I care about is what’s in the locker room with me, and really just trusting that my teammates trust me to make plays and no matter what was said, or what was going on, it doesn’t really matter.”
On Saturday, Galloway became the 56th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
Anthony Leal has been teammates with Galloway since they were kids, and he enjoyed seeing his friend join the history books during their final home game together.
“It’s awesome,” Leal said. “He knows I’m here supporting him through the highs and the lows, and we’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows through our career. For him to continue working and doing what he does well and just being super reliable for our team has been really big, not just this year, but in previous years.
“So I mean, I’m always supporting him trying to find ways to get him going, to make the game easier for him; and I know when he does what he does well, our team plays a lot better. It’s just a culmination of all the work he’s putting in, and I’m really proud of him and I know he’s going to do really good things coming down the stretch.”
Galloway’s shot will be remembered for years to come, but Indiana’s defense played a crucial role down the stretch, too. After Bruce Thornton’s 3-pointer with 9:37 to play, Indiana allowed just one field goal the rest of the game, a Royal layup at the 5:55 mark.
The remaining nine Ohio State points in the final 9:37 all came at the free throw line. Indiana held the Buckeye scoreless from the 5:00 minute mark until just 59 seconds remained, a 12-0 run. The clutch shot from Galloway was one that didn’t fall in previous close losses, and the Hoosiers’ improved defense made a difference, too.
Goode said he emphasized to the team earlier in the season that Indiana should still be able to win games when it has scoring ruts, as long as it locks in on the defensive end. Winning ugly, he called it. That’s what the Hoosiers did against Ohio State, shooting just 35.2% from the field and 5 for 20 from 3-point range, but stifling the Buckeyes with their defense.
Goode took that as a sign of progress at the right time.
“For us to be in a must-win game for our postseason hopes, for Senior Night at home, too, and to come out and play the defense we did, it’s a testament to how much we’ve grown as a team together,” Goode said.
Saturday’s win over Ohio State was part of a late-season turnaround that may have secured Indiana an NCAA Tournament berth. Indiana was listed as one of the last four byes, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology, published late Sunday night, meaning the Hoosiers would avoid playing in the First Four in Dayton, like they did Woodson’s first season. That was unlikely during long portions of this season.
Indiana has won five of its last seven games, including its two biggest resume-boosters of the season against Michigan State and Purdue. That immediately followed a stretch of seven losses in eight games, beginning with a 25-point loss at Iowa on Jan. 11 and ending with a three-point loss at home to Michigan on Feb. 8.
Indiana entered the season ranked No. 17, picked to finish second in the Big Ten and with self-stated goals to win the Big Ten and national title. But instead, Indiana announced a day before the Michigan loss that Woodson would step down after the season, meaning Saturday was also his last game coaching at Assembly Hall.
During a low point of the season after losing to Illinois on Jan. 14, Goode said with conviction that Indiana would turn its season around. That the Hoosiers need to wear their jerseys with more pride. That he has confidence in his teammates and coaches. That fans who were booing and being negative on social media should, “stay on that side when we start being successful again.”
Goode said he’s always known Indiana has what it takes, and it’s all started to come together thanks to everyone buying into a collective effort over the last few weeks. The Hoosiers went 6-7 after those comments, and that looks to be enough to sneak into the big dance. Though it could be close with a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament, coupled with the right mix of bubble teams and bid-stealers making a late push. A win Thursday over Oregon would likely lock in a bid.
With his five years of collegiate experience, Galloway knows seasons are long and that there will be ups and downs. At times, it can look like everything is going wrong, and other moments can feel like you’re on top of the world. The good teams find a balance and stay even keel, which Galloway thinks the Hoosiers have done a far better job of lately.
Saturday was their last game at Assembly Hall, but they plan to keep this recent stretch of improved play rolling into March.
“We weren’t doing that early on in the season, and now we’re starting to figure that out,” Galloway said. “And it’s helping us and we’re winning games. So we’ve just got to stick to that, and be ready to go because we’re not done yet. That’s a big win but we are going to the Big Ten Tournament, so we’ve got to focus on that.”
