Indiana Hoosiers Fall to Maryland in Heartbreaker

The Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching 79-78 loss to Maryland on Sunday at Assembly Hall. The game came down to the wire, with Maryland’s Rodney Rice draining a clutch three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to snatch the victory from the Hoosiers. Indiana, now 14-7 on the season and 5-5 in Big Ten play, has dropped four of its last five games and is searching for answers ahead of a crucial conference showdown with Purdue.

The Hoosiers mounted an impressive comeback after trailing by 10 points in the second half. Anthony Leal sparked the rally with a three-point play to tie the game at 70, followed by a Myles Rice three-pointer and a Malik Reneau jumper to give Indiana a five-point lead late in the game. However, Maryland responded with back-to-back layups from Selton Miguel and Julian Reece before Rice’s game-winning three-pointer sealed Indiana’s fate.

Indiana was led offensively by Mackenzie Mgbako and Myles Rice, who each scored 16 points. Oumar Ballo recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Reneau added 10 points and six rebounds. Despite shooting 49% from the field, the Hoosiers struggled to contain Maryland’s perimeter attack, allowing the Terrapins to hit 12 of 24 shots from beyond the arc.

The loss highlights areas for improvement, including late-game execution and defensive rotations, as the Hoosiers prepare for their highly anticipated rivalry game against No. 11 Purdue this Friday in West Lafayette. A win could provide the spark Indiana needs to regain its footing in Big Ten play.