At the Buzzer: Oregon 72, Indiana 59

Quick thoughts on a 72-59 loss to Oregon:

How it happened

It was a strong start for Indiana on Thursday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers sprinted to a 17-9 lead with a favorable crowd and atmosphere in Indianapolis. But Oregon’s Brandon Angel and Jackson Shelstad heated up quickly for the Ducks. Oregon tied the game at 23 with 7:02 left in the first half on an Angel 3-pointer and then closed the half on a 10-0 run to claim a 37-29 advantage at the break. Indiana’s offense struggled to get clean looks after the strong start. The Hoosiers were just 13-for-38 (34.2 percent) from the field in the first half compared to 15-for-30 (50 percent) for the Ducks.

The Hoosiers opened the second half on a 6-0 run, forcing a quick Oregon timeout. By the under-16 media timeout, Indiana trailed 41-37. Oregon pushed the lead to seven at 47-40 on a short jumper by Nate Bittle, but the Hoosiers answered with a 3-pointer by Mackenzie Mgbako and two free throws from Malik Reneau to make it 47-45. By the under-12 media timeout, Oregon led 50-47 with 10:22 remaining. Out of the break, TJ Bamba scored to stretch the Oregon lead to five and Trey Galloway committed a turnover, leading to a Brandon Angel bucket to make it 54-47. But Indiana responded with a 7-2 run, which included a 3-pointer from Galloway, to get within two at 56-54 at the under-eight media timeout.

But Indiana’s offense dried up over the next four minutes. Missed front ends of 1-and-1s and contested looks at the rim allowed the Ducks to stretch the lead to 61-54 with 4:42 remaining. The Hoosiers would get no closer as Oregon built an 11-point lead on a Shelstad 3-pointer with 2:24 to go, prompting a Hoosier timeout. Indiana got no closer than 10 the rest of the way and the Hoosiers will now have to sweat out Selection Sunday.

Standout performer

Reneau led Indiana with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench. Galloway aded 15 points and nine assists, but was just 6-for-18 from the field and committed five turnovers.

Statistics that stand out

Indiana’s offense struggled against the length and athleticism of the Ducks. The Hoosiers shot 39.6 percent on 2s and made only four 3-pointers in the loss.