Five takeaways from IU basketball’s win at Maryland

Reed Bailey dunks the ball at Maryland.

Indiana earned its first road win of the season on Wednesday night, beating Maryland 84-66 at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The victory improved the Hoosiers to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Terrapins:

Indiana’s 3-point shooting on the road comes around in the second half

Through its first five halves on the road this season, the Hoosiers couldn’t buy a bucket from the perimeter.

After a 2-for-12 performance from deep in the first 20 minutes against the Terps, Indiana was 14-for-63 (22.2 percent) on road 3-pointers on the season.

Leading just 36-31 at the break, it looked like the Hoosiers might be in danger of dropping another road contest if the perimeter shooting didn’t improve.

But unlike games at Minnesota and Kentucky, when it collapsed after halftime and lost, Indiana pulled away in the second half on Wednesday.

Indiana’s perimeter shooting played a pivotal role. IU went 6-for-13 on 3s in the second half against Maryland, which helped it pull away for a comfortable 18-point win.

Lamar Wilkerson carries the offensive load down the stretch

With Tucker DeVries mired in an offensive slump, Lamar Wilkerson has continued to elevate his offensive game for Indiana.

Wednesday’s performance was the latest example.

Wilkerson scored a game-high 24 points, his fourth straight game with 21 or more points. It was the seventh time in 15 games that Wilkerson has finished with 21 or more points.

The majority of the damage from Wilkerson came in the second half. From the 16:55 mark to the 12:09 mark, Wilkerson scored 16 straight points to push the IU lead from three to 15.

“I thought the guys did a really good job of looking for him, screening for him, and giving him those opportunities,” Darian DeVries said. “And then obviously he took advantage of it.”

Maryland never got closer than 13 the rest of the way after Wilkerson’s personal 16-point run. He scored 18 points in the second half, shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 on 3-pointers.

Reed Bailey provides quality minutes off the bench

Frontcourt production has been limited all season for Indiana, but with limited rim protection for the Terps, the Hoosiers were able to take advantage in the paint.

Sam Alexis started for the sixth straight game but was a dismal 0-for-4 on looks at the rim.

Indiana instead went to Reed Bailey, who started slow but picked up steam as he got comfortable later in the first half. Bailey missed his lone field goal attempt in the first half but made all six of his free throw attempts.

In the second half, Bailey was as aggressive as he’s been since the Kansas State game. He shot 4-for-8 from the field, including a pair of dunks, and scored nine points in 18 minutes.

“Reed had a huge impact on the game at both ends of the floor,” DeVries said. “Just his ability to cover both sides of ball screens, and then on the offensive end, to be a connector in some of the plays we’re running and also use his force and athleticism to get to the rim.”

Bailey finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 28 minutes. IU was +23 when he was on the floor, which led the team.

Tayton Conerway and Conor Enright shine for the second straight game

Guard play is crucial on the road in the Big Ten and Indiana got stellar contributions from Tayton Conerway and Conor Enright for a second consecutive game.

When the Hoosiers had nothing going in the first half, Enright had a couple of key drives for layups and a pair of free throws.

Conerway, meanwhile, led the way with 13 first-half points as his downhill ability remains the best on the roster.

In the second half, Enright scored 10 of his season-high 16 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.

“I think Connor, he’s just one of those guys that does whatever the game dictates,” DeVries said. “He just wants to win. And you know, the last couple of games, they haven’t been guarding him quite as closely. So he can shoot it. I promise you, he can shoot it.”

Conerway had an all-around excellent final 20 minutes with six points, five rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes after the break. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes.

Hoosiers pick up first road win after shaky performances at Minnesota and Kentucky

Life on the road in college basketball is difficult. And it’s no secret that the Hoosiers need to win at least a few road games this season to build an NCAA tournament resume.

While Wednesday’s win won’t stand out on the resume, it was a game the Hoosiers couldn’t afford to drop, as it was one of the best opportunities on the slate for a victory away from Bloomington.

More importantly, it could serve as a confidence builder for IU that it can find success in venues other than Assembly Hall.

“We’ve only had a couple of opportunities, and we know we didn’t perform as well as we would have liked in those two games,” DeVries said. “But there were also learning opportunities for us in those losses that I think we adjusted nicely to.

“We got off to a slow start tonight, and I thought we took some of the things that maybe hindered us from coming away with a win in our first two road games and were able to fix it.”

See More: Five Takeaways, Maryland Terrapins