First Half

What happened: Neither team was pristine. Missed free throws haunted the Hoosiers. Turnovers and missed shots down low hurt the Terrapins. The Hoosiers looked like tortoises in the beginning, scoring only eight points in the first nine minutes. Maryland, meanwhile, looked too big and too strong, pushing the Hoosiers around on the inside, swatting shots and clearing offensive rebounds with ease en route to a 19-8 lead. But Indiana’s three-point shooting--what else?--kept the game from being a 20-point halftime blowout. Indiana made only four of 20 two-point attempts, but was five for eight from three-point range. After its initial surge, Maryland struggled from close range and couldn’t put Indiana away, going more than six minutes without a basket and missing several easy shots down low until Chris Wilcox made a short jumper with 2:56 left. Indiana closed with a 7-2 run to end the half, including a running bank shot by Tom Coverdale as the horn sounded.

Not in the box score: With Indiana already flailing on offense, Jared Jeffries picked up his second foul with 12:03 left. He sat down with only two points, costing the Hoosiers their top inside threat until he returned almost eight minutes later. He missed a free throw and then went back to the bench for the final 1:12.

Winning numbers: Maryland guard Juan Dixon came in as the tournament’s leading scorer with 27.4 points a game and didn’t disappoint in the first half with 11 points on four-for-four shooting. He also made both of his free-throw attempts and had three steals.

Wrong numbers: Indiana made only two of seven free throws. Maryland committed 10 turnovers; Indiana wasn’t exactly flawless with nine. Indiana forward Jim Newton scored a career-high 19 points in the semifinal against Oklahoma but had only two at halftime against Maryland. Maryland forward Lonny Baxter missed five shots in a 1:25 span, including back-to-back missed layups with just over four minutes left.

Leading scorers: Indiana: Kyle Hornsby and Coverdale, 8 points. Maryland: Dixon, 11.

Leading rebounders: Indiana: Dane Fife, 4: Maryland: Baxter, 9.