Indiana Falls In Big Ten Tournament Semifinal
MINNEAPOLIS – Top seed Indiana gave up a 24-point halftime lead as it feel to 4-seed Ohio State, 79-75, on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal inside Target Center.
KEY MOMENTS
• Graduate student guard Grace Berger buried a three-point basket and hit a layup to pour in the first five points of the game for the Hoosiers.
• IU (27-3) went on an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter with buckets from junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil, Garzon and freshman forward Lilly Meister to extend IU’s lead to 20-12.
• The Hoosiers held the Buckeyes scoreless over the final 5:34 of the first period to take a 23-12 advantage into the second quarter.
• Junior guard Sydney Parrish buried a three-point basket in transition to force Ohio State into its second timeout of the half just a minute into the second quarter. Her shot extended IU’s run out to 16-0 while holding the Buckeyes scoreless for the last 7:40. After finishing a layup through contact, senior guard Sara Scalia converted the free throw and the three-point play to push IU’s lead out to 35-20. IU took a 20-point lead into the break behind 12 first-half points from Scalia and 11 from Berger.
• Parrish opened the second half by burying a three-point basket to push IU’s lead out to 49-26. With Ohio State (25-6) on a 6-0 run, Berger took a screen and knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line to break a scoreless drought. IU finished the third period with a pair of Holmes’ free throws to take a 63-53 lead into the fourth quarter.
• Scalia knocked down a huge three-point basket at the 7:10 in the fourth quarter for IU’s first points of the period. Meister grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds and was fouled. She converted both shots at the line to send the Hoosiers up seven with a 70-63 lead. The Hoosiers were unable to hang on to the lead down the stretch, committing nine turnovers in the final 10 minutes as the Buckeyes pulled within one off IU turnovers with 4:29 to play. Berger got one in the bonus before Ohio State took its first lead since the 9:40 mark of the first quarter. Indiana once again regained the lead on a Holmes bucket inside but free throws in the bonus for OSU pulled the game away.
NOTABLE
• Berger was the first to reach double-digit scoring, finishing the day with 20 points.
• She also pitched in six assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes of action.
• Senior guard Sara Scalia finished the game with 15 points including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
• Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes scored 12 points, the 95th game of her career in double figures.
• She moves into fifth place all-time on the program’s scoring list with 1,875 points.
• Junior guard Sydney Parrish totaled 10 points.
• Freshman guard Yarden Garzon scored six points and added 11 rebounds on the afternoon.
• The Hoosiers had four score in double figures against the Buckeyes.
• IU finished 20-of-23 from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
Indiana will await the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday March 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.