Xavier Johnson had a season-high 24 points and six assists, lifting Indiana to a 74-64 win over Maryland on Thursday in Bloomington, Ind.
Johnson went a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor, including all three from 3-point range, as the Hoosiers (17-10, 8-9 Big Ten) snapped a five-game losing streak to keep their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Race Thompson added 19 points and nine rebounds and Trayce Jackson-Davis overcame first-half foul trouble to finish with 10 points and two blocks as Indiana shot 59.6 percent from the field.
Up 53-50, Indiana went on an 11-2 run in the second half to create some breathing room. Johnson started the run with a 3-pointer, then capped it with a dish inside to Jackson-Davis, who finished a finger roll to put Indiana up 64-52 with 5:53 left.
Fatts Russell had 23 points for Maryland (13-15, 5-12), which had a two-game win streak snapped. Hakim Hart added 14 points for the Terrapins and Donta Scott scored 10 points. Eric Ayala, in his third game back from a wrist injury, had just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in his return to Maryland's starting lineup.
Indiana dealt with foul trouble for much of the first half. Johnson sat the final 13:19 of the first half with two fouls, while Jackson-Davis sat the final 10:21 of the first half with two fouls.
With its reserves in the game, Indiana still led by as many as 10 points in the first half. Up 20-18, the Hoosiers went on an 8-0 run, going up 28-18 on a 3-pointer by Anthony Leal.
Maryland answered with a 9-0 run, cutting Indiana's lead to 28-27 on a driving layup with 13 seconds left in the half. But Miller Kopp hit a turn-around jumper on the baseline with 4.3 seconds left, allowing Indiana to take a slim 30-27 lead into halftime.
Thompson had seven points and five rebounds in the half. The Hoosiers shot 48.1 percent from the field in the first half, while Maryland shot 36 percent.
--Field Level Media
Maryland | Indiana | |
Fatts Russell 23 | Scoring | Xavier Johnson 24 |
Eric Ayala 2 | Assists | Xavier Johnson 6 |
Donta Scott 6 | Rebounds | Race Thompson 9 |
Donta Scott 4 | Free Throws Made | Xavier Johnson 7 |
Donta Scott 3 | Steals | Miller Kopp 2 |
Hakim Hart 1 | Blocks | Trayce Jackson-Davis 2 |