With just under 90 seconds remaining in Saturday’s Senior Day game against Ohio State, IU held a 58-56 lead. The game was by no means over. Ohio State got called for a loose ball turnover, and it was Indiana ball with a chance to seal it.
With the turnover being out of bounds near Indiana’s bench, the Hoosiers were left with only 20 seconds on the shot clock. Confused as to why, Indiana senior guard Trey Galloway held point while trying to get the officials’ attention.
But with no answers in sight, Galloway took matters into his own hands.
“We knew we had to go and then we just kind of called for a high ball screen,” Galloway said. “The play design kind of broke down, and I trusted my shot and it went in, so it was good.”
That dagger closed out Galloway’s final season and Indiana’s regular season with a win, as the Hoosiers defeated Ohio State, 66-60, on Saturday afternoon at Assembly Hall.
And it was by no means easy. It was a win where Indiana’s seniors showed that they would not go down without a fight.
It all began as a low-scoring affair in the first half as the Hoosiers entered the locker room down 29-25 — the eighth-straight contest where Indiana had been down at halftime.
To put it simply, nothing was falling.
An early connection between Oumar Ballo and Galloway was the final time the Hoosiers would see the lead in the half, as Galloway found Ballo for the alley-oop slam to get Assembly Hall on their feet just three and a half minutes into the game.
Indiana would then conclude the half shooting 9-for-30 from the field, while also only converting 6 of 10 from the charity stripe.
But not much would change to start the second half.
Despite a Luke Goode 3-pointer to open up the half, Indiana could not answer the Buckeyes’ bell. Indiana head coach Mike Woodson elected to call a timeout seven minutes into the half, as Ohio State was, in short, not missing.
It was then an OSU 3-pointer from Devin Royal that handed the Buckeyes their largest lead at that point of the game with a 10-point advantage, that stopped the clock as the Hoosiers walked into their huddle for the under-12 media timeout.
From then on, it was a whole new game for this Indiana team. Galloway connecting with Anthony Leal for a layup marked the start of what’s always been known as an Indiana-styled second half of basketball.
A 30-14 scoring run is what sealed the deal in the end, and what officially closed out the collegiate careers of nine Hoosiers — one being at the head of the helm.
Saturday afternoon marked the final game for Woodson in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana announced on Feb. 7 that Woodson would not be returning as head coach after this season.
“You know, I just want the program to be successful,” Woodson said when asked about how he wants his tenure to be remembered. “That’s all I ever thought about when I took the job, and that’s how I feel now.”
Woodson’s tenure will be remembered for both his doings on the court and on the sidelines. The finality was in no doubt a thought in the back of his mind, but his focus was on the ones who would be closing out their careers on the court.
“I think back to 1980, playing this same team for the Big Ten title,” Woodson said of Indiana’s March 2, 1980 victory in which he and Isiah Thomas led IU with 21 points apiece. “That’s the only thing that was going through my head throughout the day, and I wanted it so much for these seniors to win because I knew how special that night was for me my senior year, and walking off that floor as a Big Ten Champion.”
And that is what the Hoosiers will next be fighting for.
Indiana will next travel up to Indianapolis to take part in the Big Ten Tournament. With the win, the Hoosiers will be playing on Thursday, in what will most likely be a rematch against the Oregon Ducks.
The Hoosiers know that this was a big win, and by no means are they calming down any time soon. But there’s no doubt that this one meant a bit more.
“Going out as a winner at Assembly Hall,” Galloway said. “That’s what I’ll remember.”
