Maryland basketball vs. Indiana final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 75-72 win

Maryland basketball beat Indiana Tuesday night in yet another last-minute steal of a win for the Terps, who improved to 15-2 with a 75-72 victory over the Hoosiers.

Like many of Maryland’s contests this season, this game wasn’t decided until the final minutes. The Terps and Hoosiers traded blows all throughout the second half, and Maryland didn’t grab a permanent lead until two freshmen accounted for eight consecutive points with under two minutes to go.

After hitting a three to put Maryland up with 1:48 left, Kevin Huerter grabbed a rebound and found an open Anthony Cowan down court, who converted a fast-break layup to give Maryland a 73-70 lead that was too much for the Hoosiers to overcome.

In a throwback to efforts from earlier this season, Melo Trimble (18 points), Justin Jackson (11 points) and Cowan (15) captained Maryland’s offense. Damonte Dodd anchored the defense once again in his third game since returning from a knee injury. The senior recorded five blocks in the first half and prevented Indiana center Thomas Bryant from getting what he wanted down low.

Maryland got the best of the Hoosiers early on, but not by much. A 12-12 tie at the 13-minute mark in the first half turned into 23-17 with under seven to go, which promptly turned into a 23-22 game a minute later. The teams kept battling, with Indiana taking a two-point lead a minute before halftime on some Juwan Morgan free throws. Maryland took a 39-38 halftime lead after Trimble diced up Indiana for a layup as the clock expired.

The second half started off the same way, with both teams trading buckets and not giving each other much leeway. Indiana took a four-point lead on a Devonte Green layup, and the Hoosiers’ lead flickered between five and two points for the first 10 minutes of the half.

Cowan narrowed the margin with four straight points in the second half, and the Terps finally capitalized after his layup with eight minutes left. Trimble followed that with a layup of his own, and Huerter hit a three-pointer to give Maryland its first lead in almost 15 minutes.

That lead lasted just over a minute, as James Blackmon Jr. hit a three to tilt the game back in Indiana’s direction. The teams traded buckets again before Huerter’s three and assist put Maryland up for good. OG Anunoby got Indiana within one point with an outrageous dunk, but Trimble hit a few free throws and Robert Johnson missed what would have been a game-tying shot at the buzzer.

Three things to know

1. The Terps are 15-2. This was one of Maryland’s better performances of the season, and it was just enough. The team next plays Illinois on Saturday.
2. This game went down to the wire. Again. The Terps have made a habit of playing close games all season, and that happened again on Tuesday. There’s no shame in being close with Indiana though, win or loss.
3. Dion Wiley didn’t play for the second straight game. Mark Turgeon said Wiley “didn’t fit into the rotation” after he didn’t play against Michigan, but didn’t give any indication that the guard would sit for the entirety of this game as well. He hasn’t been reported to have any injury.

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