The first road win of the Darian DeVries era is in the books.
Indiana struggled out of the gates and trailed 16-11 with 11:06 left in the first half. But a 12-0 IU scoring run from that point gave the Hoosiers a lead they’d never relinquish. Maryland got to within 43-40 with 17:03 left in the game, but a personal 9-0 run by Lamar Wilkerson extended the lead to double-digits — where it would remain for the rest of the game.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 84-66 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
The Hoosiers (12-3, 3-1) will return to action Saturday when they host Nebraska for a Noon ET tip in Bloomington.
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OFFENSE (B)
In the first half the driving lanes were open and guards Tayton Conerway, Conor Enright and others took advantage with downhill attacks at the rim. IU got to the free throw line for 16 attempts before the break and made them all. That helped offset a poor shooting half from the field to start the game.
Indiana found answers to free up their shooters in the second half, and the Hoosiers made 6 of 13 threes after the break. Lamar Wilkerson was 3 of 5 from three as part of an 18 point second half effort.
“We wanted him (Wilkerson) to cut a little bit more to get lost to where he wasn’t just standing and they could just stand beside him,” IU coach Darian DeVries said. “We got him more on the move, and then because of that, we could use some of that movement to use counter moves or counter plays to get him free.”
IU won’t face many teams they have a size advantage against, but they did against the Terps and they took advantage with a season-high 40% offensive rebounding rate they converted into 13 second chance points. The Hoosiers also got to the line at a high rate, and kept turnovers (11) to a reasonable level on the road.
The Hoosiers scored 1.22 points per possession, by far their best effort on the road this season.
DEFENSE (B)
Holding a high major team to under a point per possession is generally a good formula on the road, and IU limited the Terps to just .96. That was the lowest points per possession allowed by IU in any game away from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The headline number was Maryland’s 5 of 26 shooting night from beyond the arc. How much of this was Maryland missing good looks vs. IU playing good defense? It would be fair to describe it as a healthy mix of both. The Terps certainly had their opportunities, and at times it almost seemed like Indiana was daring Maryland to take threes. More than half of their second half attempts from the field came from three after a first half that saw them go 11 of 20 from two and just 1 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Maryland got little from their offense in terms of movement or facilitation. The Terps had 11 turnovers against just seven assists.
IU also held Maryland to a 30.8% offensive rebounding rate, which is under their season average, but they were missing their best rebounder Pharrel Payne.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- Watch: IU basketball coach Darian DeVries discusses win over Maryland
- IU basketball: Indiana 84 Maryland 66 — Three keys, highlights, stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (C) DeVries almost looks like he’s less than 100 percent. He has struggled to get involved in the offense for multiple games. He spent this game in foul trouble like he has for multiple outings. Indiana has shown they can win without him, which should bode well when he returns to form.
*Lamar Wilkerson (A) Wilkerson had a monster second half for the second game in a row. In addition to his scoring prowess, don’t overlook his six rebounds from his guard spot, and no turnovers on the road. He has proven his mid-major production translates to the Big Ten, and he’s doing it with poise.
*Sam Alexis (C) Alexis was ineffective when on the court, and it appeared to cost him minutes. He played just two minutes in the second half. The matchups probably weren’t ideal as Maryland didn’t have a traditional big man.
*Conor Enright (A) Enright showed a lot of offensive diversity, probing at the rim in the first half, making threes in the second. It’s the second straight game he has been more aggressive looking to score, and he’s averaged 14 points per game in that span. And Enright drew charges and was his usual pesky self on the other end.
*Tayton Conerway (A) Conerway did a little bit of everything. His ability to get downhill and finish at the rim was critical. He drew fouls and got to the line for six attempts. He pulled down eight rebounds, and added four assists against two turnovers.
Reed Bailey (B+) Bailey appeared to figure some things out and delivered a great final 10 minutes for IU. After a 1 of 6 start from the field where he continued to struggle to finish at the rim, Bailey made his final three shots to help IU close things out.
Trent Sisley (B) The freshman was a sparkplug once again, especially in the second half when he delivered key offensive rebounds and an emphatic dunk off a good cut that helped put Maryland away.
Nick Dorn (C) Dorn has been a key contributor of late, but he couldn’t find an offensive rhythm and struggled with fouls and turnovers.
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Aleksa Ristic and Andrej Acimovic did not play — coaches decision.
Jasai Miles, Jason Drake and Josh Harris were out with injuries.
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