No. 17 Terrapins beat Hoosiers 77-76 behind Jalen Smith's 29 points
In their second-straight game on the road, the Terrapins (16-4) defeated the Hoosiers (15-5) 77-76 on Sunday afternoon at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Jalen Smith scored 29 points on 10-14 (.714) shooting with 11 rebound, leading the team in scoring five games in a row
Maryland has been heavily criticized for their struggles on the road. They immediately silenced their critics, defeating the Hoosiers in another come-from-behind win.
First Half
This matchup was basically a 3-point contest between two of the top teams in the Big Ten. Maryland built a 12-3 lead within the first three minutes, with all 12 points coming from behind the arc.
Jalen Smith had a very efficient start, scoring 13 points while shooting 5-6 (.833) from the field in the first half. He made his presence felt both offensively and defensively.
The Terrapins led by as many as 14 points this game, when Darryl Morsell made a 3-point jumper to extend the lead 38-24 with 6:01 remaining.
Maryland went into the break, shooting 17-31 (.548) from the field including 9-17 (.529) from behind the arc. Indiana was impressive as well, making 6-9 (.667) 3-point shots.
Keep in mind Maryland had the worst field goal percentage among all teams in the Big Ten, shooting a conference worst 41 percent.
They went into halftime with a 45-36 lead.
Second Half
Though the Terrapins were the dominant team in the first half, it was a different story in the second half.
Indiana went on an 11-1 run to lead 47-46 with 16:23 remaining, their first lead of the game. Joey Brunk played a big role in getting the Hoosiers back into the game, after his scoreless first half performance.
Devonte Green was easily the Hoosiers most consistent player today, coming off the bench with 16 points. He was a very difficult player to stop for the Terrapins.
Despite Indiana leading by as many as eight points in the second half, Maryland found a way to comeback and win the game.
In the last 4:22, the Terrapins outscored the Hoosiers 11-5. Anthony Cowan and Aaron Wiggins made critical 3-point jumpers that recreated the momentum they had in the first half. Darryl Morsell's layup and foul for an extra point at 3:39 kick started the Terrapins in the miraculous comeback.
Jalen Smith's layup with 0:16 remaining propelled Maryland to a 77-76 lead after trailing for most of the second half. He was dominant in all phases of the game and willed his team to a second-straight road win. His double-double today is his 11th on the season.
Maryland improves their conference record to 6-3 as Indiana falls to 5-4. Next up, the Terrapins will host No. 19 Iowa on Thursday at the Xfinity Center.
