Anthony Leal’s Late Heroics Complete Indiana’s 76-73 Comeback Win At Ohio State

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.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Trey Galloway turned the corner with a head of steam.

His signature floater was on point Tuesday night, so four Ohio State defenders collapsed to him in the paint. Galloway had options: Lob the ball to Kel’el Ware, pass it to Mackenzie Mgbako or Anthony Leal in the corner, or shoot it himself.

The Buckeyes didn't seem worried about Anthony Leal, who hadn’t attempted a shot from the field all game. They should have been. As he flew out of bounds, Galloway kicked the ball out to a wide-open Leal in the corner. Leal rose up and drilled the corner three to give Indiana a 74-73 lead with 22 seconds left. After trailing by as many as 18 points, the Hoosiers went on to win, 76-73.

Leal said it's the biggest shot he's hit since his days playing for Bloomington South High School against Silver Creek in 2020.

“It’s a big-time shot,” Galloway said. “I feel so comfortable playing with him since we’ve been with each other since freshman year of high school. I trust him. He trusts me. So that combination and that trust we have for each other is special.”

Indiana Hoosiers guard Anthony Leal (3) hits the go-ahead three pointer over Ohio State Buckeyes guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) during the second half of the men's basketball game at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 76-73 :: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

After Leal hit the game winner, Kel’el Ware stripped the ball from Jamison Battle. But Indiana’s 7-footer planted awkwardly going up for a last-second dunk. Leal was there for the rebound, and he sank two clutch free throws to put the Hoosiers ahead by three points with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Ohio State point guard Bruce Thornton got a clean look at a game-tying three at the buzzer, but it rimmed out. The victory improved Indiana's record to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten play, with a matchup at rival No. 2 Purdue up next on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

The looks of elation on the Hoosiers’ faces walking off the court was far different from their looks of despair heading into halftime with a 13-point deficit. That was especially true for sophomore forward Malik Reneau, who picked up a technical foul for bad-mouthing the referee in the second half.

“Emotionally, he kind of lost it,” Woodson said. “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."

Reneau was able to refocus and lead the Hoosiers with 26 points, the third-most in his career, on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 10-for-15 free throw shooting. He also grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and played through the final 4:40 with four fouls. When the Hoosiers needed a bucket, they could rely on his crafty moves in the paint.

Reneau’s resilience through adversity is something Leal said the team discussed during Tuesday’s bible study, a game-day tradition this season. It culminated in one of the best games of Reneau's budding career. 

"I keep telling him that we need him on the court always," Galloway said. "He’s such a dominant force and we kept telling him, like, ‘We’re going to be alright. We’re going to be okay.’ We just got to stick together and keep getting stops because our stops lead to offense."

Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) hugs Trey Galloway (32) after a 76-73 win against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana's comeback really started when Galloway knocked down a 3-pointer to trim Ohio State's lead to seven points at the 6:34 mark of the second half. He hit another three to bring Indiana within one point with 4:15 remaining, and his decision-making played a key role in getting shots for Reneau.

Galloway has been thrust into the role as the team's point guard, along with freshman Gabe Cupps, after Xavier Johnson's injury on Jan. 30 against Iowa. Johnson remains out indefinitely, according to a team spokesman. Woodson said that injury will put a lot of pressure on Galloway and the rest of Indiana's guards. Galloway handled it well Tuesday, scoring 25 points with six rebounds, four assists and two turnovers. 

"I think coach really trusts me with the ball in my hands, and I trust myself," Galloway said. "So I think just finding ways to get myself involved because I can make plays for other people as well. So just being able to get the ball and make the right play and make the right read, that’s the biggest thing for me."

Galloway, Leal and the rest of the Indiana guards' perimeter defense was another key to the comeback. Ohio State guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle combined for 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first half, but that dropped to just eight combined points on 2-for-11 shooting in the second half. 

As a team, Ohio State scored 42 points in the first half on 50% shooting, but 32% shooting in the second half led to just 31 points. After Dale Bonner hit a 3-pointer at the 10:33 mark of the second half, the Buckeyes made just two field goals the rest of the game. Their remaining nine points all came at the free throw line, and seven second-half turnovers certainly hurt, too.

Galloway said a comeback win like this shows the team what they are made of. They knew they couldn't overcome the 18-point deficit all in one play, and they were able to focus on chipping away one possession at a time.

Indiana has dealt with its fair share of ups and downs this season, evidenced by their 6-6 conference record and Saturday's home loss against Penn State. Leal, Galloway and Reneau agreed that a win like Tuesday's can give the team confidence to turn their season around, and it'll take the same kind of focus moving forward.

"I try to keep my focus on my guys and my team," Galloway said. "I’m not worried about what everybody else, what the outside noise is saying, because when you start to worry about it, that’s when it starts to affect you. So you can’t worry about it because it’s all nonsense. But the biggest thing for me is just telling my teammates, ‘It’s only us.’ Because it is. At the end of the day, it’s not our families, it’s just us in that locker room coming together, finding ways to win. And we did a good job of that today. We’ve got eight more games to keep building.”

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