IU basketball falters late in 73-64 loss at Oregon

Like several games this season for Indiana dating back to late January, Tuesday’s game was tight going into the closing minutes. In a seesaw battle, the Hoosiers led Oregon 64-63 with 1:58 left at Knight Arena. But 28 seconds later, the Ducks hit Indiana with a punch from which they never recovered.

Oregon had the ball with the shot clock winding down. Ducks big man Nate Bittle found himself at the top of the key and sent a pass to his left into the hands of point guard Jackson Shelstad.

Shelstad, who finished with a game-high 17 points, caught the pass from Bittle and, without hesitation, launched a deep 3-pointer from near the logo at center court. Just three seconds remained on the shot clock and Shelstad’s shot was perfect. It proved to be the game-winner.

The Hoosiers came into Eugene having won their last three games, hoping for a potential NCAA tournament-clinching win. But like many of its close losses this season, Indiana failed to execute when it mattered most. The Hoosiers fell 73-64, setting up a high-stakes matchup against Ohio State in the final game of the regular season on Saturday.

Shelstad’s late-game 3-pointer was the first bucket that propelled the Ducks to a 10-0 run to finish the game.

“I don’t think – we didn’t defend it well,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “We didn’t, because Bittle caught the ball up top, Anthony (Leal) was sucked in, and all he had to do was stay out. We did not defend it well. I mean, make Bittle be the guy that beats you. Jackson has shown he can make shots and beat you, and he did. It was a big shot when we were up one.”

Tuesday night was the latest chapter in a season of disappointing finishes for the Hoosiers.

Indiana played well for most of the game. The Hoosiers got production from seniors Trey Galloway and Oumar Ballo. Galloway had another strong late-season performance, leading the team with 16 points and four assists. Ballo had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

But that wasn’t enough to overcome the Ducks, who were better on the glass. Oregon’s offensive rebounding hurt Indiana. The Hoosiers gave up 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points for the Ducks.

After Shelstad’s 3-pointer, Indiana had the ball coming out of their timeout with 1:22 to play. Galloway tried to get a screen from Ballo, but little space was created. In an effort to save the play, Galloway drove into the lane, but he ultimately turned the ball over into the hands of Bittle.

“I just thought we poorly executed our offense, and we had good calls, good play calls made, but we just didn’t – they took us out of it,” Woodson stated. “That’s something that we gotta learn from. When it’s nut-cutting time, you gotta step up and make plays, which we’ve been doing. We’ve been making good basketball plays down the stretch, but tonight we didn’t.”

Indiana’s NCAA tournament hopes aren’t wiped out, but a second win out west would have likely sent them back to Bloomington feeling much better about their March Madness chances.

The attention now focuses to Saturday as IU hosts Ohio State at Assembly Hall. The matchup against the Buckeyes has gone from critical to vital, but the Hoosiers are still in a decent position to punch their ticket into the tournament.

In the roller coaster of a season that has been for Indiana, it all may come down to the final buzzer of the final game.

“I have no complaints,” Woodson said. “These guys have been fighting, fighting and fighting. We have a break here or there, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We are in the mix of a battle, we got a chance to get to the Big Ten Tournament and anything can happen when you get into tournament play yet. Right now, we are staring Ohio State in the face, and we got to go figure that out.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

Category: Media

Filed to: Oregon Ducks