Hoosiers Put Up Fight But Fall To Iowa In Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a fourth-quarter lead, No. 10 seed Indiana couldn’t hold on as No. 2 seed and 10th-ranked Iowa took a 70-61 decision in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on Friday night.
KEY MOMENTS
• Iowa (24-6) opened up the game by scoring six unanswered before redshirt junior guard Ali Patberg found the back of the net with just under seven minutes to play. Six points from freshman guard Grace Berger helped keep Indiana within one, 12-11, with under a minute to go.
• The Hawkeyes would go another six unanswered as a 3-pointer found its way in to make it 17-11 after on. IU’s (20-12) deficit grew to as many as nine in the second quarter early on but four points from Wise and a drive to the rim by Patberg made it 21-19 with 7:04 left in the opening half. Iowa would respond on the next possession with a 3-pointer as a steal and redshirt junior forward Brenna Wise layup. But a four-point swing in Iowa’s favor made the deficit seven with 3:46 to play as they would eventually take a 33-27 lead at the half.
• In the third quarter, the Hawkeyes pushed its lead to 10 but the Hoosiers chipped away as it got a steal in the post led to a Berger transition layup and ignited a 6-0 run by the Hoosiers which saw them take a 43-42 lead with 1:33 left in the third quarter. Iowa senior forward Megan Gustafson had back-to-back answers and gave her team a 46-43 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
• IU would go on to win the fourth quarter, 16-13, as freshman forward Aleksa Gulbe hit a 3-pointer with just over seven minutes to play cut the deficit to one. Patberg hit a pair at the line as she was fouled on the drive with 5:53 to go to give IU a lead, 54-53. But a 5-0 run by Iowa put them back on top, 58-54 with 3:22 to go. It would be a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as free throws down the stretched sent IU home to await its postseason bid.
NOTABLE
• Patberg led IU on the night scoring 25 points and going 3-for-4 from the 3-point line. It was her 10th game with 20 or more points this season and 23rd game in double figures this season.
• Berger was the only other Hoosier in double figures adding 13 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
• Wise grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and added nine points along with three steals.
• Sophomore guard Bendu Yeaney dished out a team-high four assists and picked up three steals.
• The Hoosiers shot just 36.5 percent on the night and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line. They picked up nine steals with Yeaney and Wise leading the way.
UP NEXT
Indiana will now await its postseason fate with tournament decisions coming on Monday, March. 18.