At the buzzer: Saint Mary’s 82, Indiana 53

  • 03/17/2022 9:39 pm in

Quick thoughts on an 82-53 loss to Saint Mary’s:

How it happened: Indiana came out hot offensively on Thursday in Portland as the Hoosiers led 18-14 at the under 12 media timeout and were scoring 1.29 points per possession. Jordan Geronimo, the hero in IU’s win against Wyoming in Dayton, scored five points in his first three minutes off the bench. Going against the No. 9 defense in the country, according to KenPom, the Hoosiers looked comfortable and confident. After its second flop of the first half, Saint Mary’s was assessed a technical foul and Tamar Bates hit a free throw to give IU a 19-17 lead with 8:47 to play. Out of the under eight media timeout, Saint Mary’s grabbed a 24-21 lead after a Logan Johnson layup and an Alex Ducas 3-pointer. By the under four media timeout, Indiana’s scoring drought had reached 2:04 and Saint Mary’s led 33-26 after another Ducas 3-pointer. The Gaels scored on 12 of their last 16 trips of the first half and led 40-28 at intermission. Saint Mary’s scored 1.22 points per possession in the first half and closed the half on a 12-2 run. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, didn’t score for the final 3:23.

The Gaels took total control early in the second half and opened up a 19-point lead by the 15:23 mark, which caused Mike Woodson to take a timeout. Over the first 4:37 of the second half, Saint Mary’s scored 10 points on 1.43 points per possession. By the under 12 media timeout, the game was completely out of hand as the Gaels opened up a 28-point advantage at 61-33 with 11:56 to play. The Hoosiers, playing their fifth game in eight days, never seriously challenged Saint Mary’s the rest of the way.

The loss, Indiana’s 14th of the season, closes the book on the 2021-22 season, the first of the Woodson era. The Hoosiers reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016 and broke long losing streaks to Purdue and Michigan.

Standout performer: Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 31 minutes.

Statistics that stands out: Indiana’s defense, ranked in the top 20 nationally in KenPom entering the game, was carved up by the Gaels. Saint Mary’s scored 1.21 points per possession in the blowout win. By final margin, this was Indiana’s worst NCAA tournament loss ever, eclipsing the 86-61 drubbing from St. John’s in 1999.

Final IU individual statistics:

Final tempo-free statistics:

Assembly Call postgame show:

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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