Indiana’s Season Comes To A Close In NCAA Second Round
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Despite a valiant effort against No. 1-seeded South Carolina in a raucous environment, the ninth-seeded Indiana women’s basketball dropped a 64-53 contest on Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.
KEY MOMENTS
- After a tough offensive start, graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil worked a tough and-one basket heading into the media timeout. She made the free throw out of the break to trim the deficit to 7-5.
- Moore-McNeil gave IU (20-13) its first lead of the game with a corner three in the quarter’s final minute. That shot extended IU’s 7-0 run that stretched over three minutes of game time. IU took a 12-9 lead into the second period after holding the Gamecocks to 24% shooting in the first.
- Junior guard Shay Ciezki hit the first basket of the second quarter, a corner three that extended IU’s 10-0 run. The Gamecocks (32-3) finally broke a scoring drought of over five minutes with a pair of free throws
- As the home fans began to get into the game, Moore-McNeil silenced the crowd with a tough and-one bucket. The media timeout occurred in each quarter of the first half following a hard bucket from the veteran guard. She missed the ensuing free throw with the lead remaining at six – 21-15.
- Ciezki snapped an 8-0 South Carolina with a pump fake and a layup on the low block. The Gamecocks traveled on the ensuing possession to give IU the ball back with 1:22 in the half. Graduate student forward Sydney Parrish snapped her scoreless start to the game with a clutch three from the wing to give IU the lead back at 25-22.
- The Hoosiers got one last stop before the buzzer to take a 26-25 lead into the locker rooms at half time. Moore-McNeil and Ciezki combined for 17 of IU’s 26 points in the first half.
- Parrish hit a three from the corner to break an early South Carolina run in the third quarter. The basket trimmed the deficit to just five and allowed head coach Teri Moren a chance to call a timeout and set her defense.
- Junior guard Yarden Garzon hit a late bucket to stop the bleeding in the third quarter. South Carolina left the third quarter with an 11-point lead at 51-40.
- With under three minutes left in the game, Garzon buried a three to trim the lead to just nine. South Carolina had every answer in Sunday’s second half, finishing off a 64-53 victory.
NOTABLE
- Four Hoosiers scored in double figures, led by 12 points from junior guard Shay Ciezki. Junior forward Karoline Striplin (11), junior guard Yarden Garzon (10) and graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil (10) all added at least 10 points for the visitors.
- Indiana dished out 17 assists on 21 made field goals behind four each from Garzon, McNeil and Parrish.
- Moore-McNeil caps of a five-year Indiana career with 1,153 points (27th all-time), 510 assists (5th all-time), 495 rebounds and shooting 43 percent from the floor.
- Parrish wraps up her five-year collegiate career with 1,389 career points between her time at Oregon and Indiana. She also had 645 rebounds, 216 assist and 162 steals.
- Striplin’s four-year career closes with her lone season at Indiana. Over her collegiate career, she scored 790 points, 380 rebounds and shot 51.9 percent from the floor.