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Indiana makes 12 straight shots to surge past Maryland

Mar 3, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA;  Indiana Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson (0) drives to the basket on Maryland Terrapins guard Jahmir Young (1) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako scored 18 of his season-high 24 points in the second half, propelling Indiana to an 83-78 come-from-behind win on Sunday in College Park, Md.

Malik Reneau added 14 points as the Hoosiers (16-13, 8-10 Big Ten) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half, completing a regular-season sweep of the Terrapins and spoiling their Senior Day.

Indiana triggered the rally by hitting 12 straight shots. The Hoosiers still trailed, 64-62, when Reneau made the 12th shot of the run with 9:24 left.

But the basket ignited a decisive 15-0 sprint that gave Indiana a 75-64 lead as Kel’el Ware completed the spree with a stutter-step, slam-dunk three-point play with 4:02 left.

After failing to score in the first half, Ware finished with nine points and 15 rebounds. Trey Galloway added 10 of his 12 points in the second half, in addition to collecting five rebounds and four assists.

Injury-plagued Xavier Johnson added 13 points and six assists as Indiana hit 73.1 percent of its shots in the second half (19 of 26) and finished the game with 56.4 percent marksmanship.

In his final regular-season home game, Jahmir Young tallied 22 points and five rebounds for the Terrapins (15-15, 7-12) who are in danger of finishing in the bottom four of the Big Ten standings, which brings an opening-round date in the conference tournament.

Donta Scott, also playing his final home game, added 15 points as Maryland lost for the seventh time in its last nine games. Julian Reese contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.

After winning 19 straight games at home, the Terrapins have lost six of their last nine at Xfinity Center. They also fell to 1-10 this year in games decided by five or fewer points.

The first half was a series of runs. Maryland had sprees of 11 and 12 points, sandwiched around an 11-2 run by Indiana.

After failing to score in the first 15 minutes, Mgbako hit 3-pointers from the same spot on the left wing 28 seconds apart, but the Terrapins remained efficient on offense and took a 43-33 lead at the break.

After intermission, Maryland outscored Indiana 8-2 to take its biggest lead, 51-35, as Young made a three-point play off a baseline runner.

–Field Level Media

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