COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana entered halftime with its largest deficit throughout the first 20 minutes, trailing Ohio State 42-29. Coming off one of their worst losses of the season and facing a team ranked 120th defensively in Kenpom, the Hoosiers’ opportunity for a bounce back win was looking bleaker by the minute.
That’s when captain Trey Galloway emerged from the locker room and huddled his team together.
“What are we playing for?” Galloway said. “Play with a purpose. We are still capable of winning this game.”
Galloway willed his team to an 18-point comeback, leading the way with 25 points on 60% shooting. He scored 19 in the second half along with four rebounds and four assists, as Indiana beat Ohio State 76-73 in Columbus.
“I felt tonight [Galloway] was huge,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “We put him in a lot of situations where he could have the ball in his hands, run pick and rolls and make plays and he delivered.”
Tuesday’s victory marked Indiana’s largest comeback win since 1998, where IU came back from down 19 over Indiana State. Galloway believes the biggest key for a comeback win is to focus on competing and staying in the moment.
“The first half was rough and there’s a lot of ups and downs, but it’s a full 40-minute game,” Galloway said. “I thought we did a great job of really sticking together and fighting and having some resiliency.”
Galloway adds that comebacks happen “piece by piece” and that’s where the team learns the most about its identity.
While Galloway guided the Hoosiers to victory, the win would not have been possible without a dagger 3-pointer from Anthony Leal to put Indiana up one with 22 seconds remaining.
“It’s a big-time shot,” Galloway said. “I feel so comfortable playing with [Leal] since we’ve been with each other since freshman year of high school. I trust him, he trusts me, so I think that that combination and that trust we have for each other is special and I trust him with that shot.”
Although it was Leal’s one and only shot of the night, Galloway said that he is trusting his former AAU teammate to hit that shot “10 out of 10 times.”
“We’re always hopeful,” Leal said. “We’re always confident in our abilities. Obviously we don’t come out with the expectation that we’re going to dig ourselves in the hole. But when we do, we’re capable and we know we’re talented enough to figure it out.”
Malik Reneau continued his phenomenal season finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds, his second career double-double. After picking up a technical foul 30 seconds into the second half, he maintained his composure and went on to score 16 points through the final 20 minutes.
“I just got too passionate with the game in some ways I wasn’t supposed to,” Reneau said. “Told the team ‘my fault’ and then just got back on the court and kept going.”
Galloway said that Reneau staying out of foul trouble and staying on the court was essential in the team’s success.
Indiana improves to 14-9 and will have three days of rest before visiting its cross-state rival Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday. Against the second-best team in the nation, Galloway, Reneau and Leal will all need to continue their strong play.
