The Indiana Hoosiers women’s basketball team had a difficult game against the Miami Hurricanes, losing 66-58 in the NCAA Tournament. Miami’s ability to score in transition and force-feed the ball to senior Lola Pendande in the post proved too much for the Hoosiers. Despite a strong second-half performance from Mackenzie Holmes, who tallied 22 points, IU was unable to capitalize on missed opportunities and tie the game up. Yarden Garzon’s three-pointers helped break a record for the most 3-pointers made by a freshman in a single season. The game’s missed opportunities were frustrating for the Hoosiers, but they plan to learn from their experience and become better in the future.
Indiana Women’s Basketball Team Loses Shocking Game to Miami
The Indiana University (IU) women’s basketball team’s historic season came to an unexpected end in front of a shocked Assembly Hall on Monday night. The team had the best season in its history, with 27 wins, a Big Ten regular-season championship, and the first No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in program history. However, the team lost to Miami in Bloomington, which was not expected.
March Madness and Unexpected Losses
March is known for its madness and unexpected twists in the NCAA tournament, which makes the season even more fragile. In the game, when freshman Yarden Garzon scored a game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds remaining, many thought the IU women’s basketball team would withstand Miami’s best shot and go to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season. However, Miami’s forward, Destiny Harden, made a shot over the outstretched arm of Indiana guard Grace Berger, and Miami won 70-68. It was a stunning and heartbreaking loss that will be felt by the team for days and weeks to come.
Perspective from Moren
IU Women’s basketball head coach, Moren, offered some perspective on the loss, reminding the team that they had a special season, and it will be remembered for years to come. Even though the team is hurting now, they will be remembered as one of the best in history. “For that, I’m grateful,” said Moren.
Three Key Takeaways
Three things stood out from Monday’s season-ending loss:
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It took IU too long to find its “comfort level.” The team missed 15 of its first 21 shots from the field, and the Hurricanes seemingly couldn’t miss, converting 12 of their first 19 from the field to build a 28-14 lead with 7:40 left in the second quarter.
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Yarden Garzon’s dramatic shot was not enough. Even though Garzon made a game-tying 3-pointer, it was not enough to save the team from Miami’s final shot.
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Grace Berger’s tearful goodbye. Senior guard, Grace Berger, bid an emotional farewell to IU women’s basketball. She loved being a Hoosier and thanked her coaches, teammates, and fans for the memories.
In summary, IU women’s basketball team’s season came to a shocking end with a heartbreaking loss to Miami. Even though the team had the best season in its history, it couldn’t withstand Miami’s final shot. The loss will be felt by the team for days and weeks to come, but they will be remembered as one of the best in history.
How Miami Took Down Indiana Women’s Basketball Team
Miami’s women’s basketball team was athletic and dominated the game through rebounds, scoring in transition, and attacking inside. The visitors force-fed the ball to 6’4 senior Lola Pendande in the post, who hammered away inside against Indiana University’s bigs. Pendande accounted for eight of Miami’s first 11 points, and finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds. Miami’s confidence grew as they stuck shots and found a good rhythm, pace, and flow, making IU uncomfortable.
IU Struggled to Find Comfort
IU struggled offensively, missing 15 of its first 21 shots from the field, and Miami couldn’t miss, converting 12 of its first 19 from the field to build a 28-14 lead with 7:40 left in the second quarter. Miami’s willingness to attack inside forced IU to work hard and find its comfort level. It took the team a while to find its rhythm, but IU finally broke through late in the second quarter with a 7-1 run.
Miami had an Answer
IU cut the margin to five with two minutes left in the half, but Miami had an answer, with Jasmyne Roberts negating Moore-McNeil’s 3-pointer with one of her own, kicking off a 10-2 run that left the halftime score at 41-29. IU missed four straight shots during that stretch, with Grace Berger hitting the lone basket.
Holmes was a Non-Factor in the First Half
Holmes was a non-factor through the first 20 minutes, tallying just four points on 2-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and a block. No one really picked up the slack, and IU shot 34% over the first two quarters. The defense was uncharacteristically wobbly, allowing Miami to shoot 57% with nine 3-pointers on 15 tries.
Holmes Made a Presence in the Second Half
Holmes made her presence known after the break, ripping off 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and an assist in the third quarter. She reeled off four straight points to cut the margin to two with just under 90 seconds left, then followed a Parrish layup with one of her own about a minute later to make it a one-point game entering the fourth. Holmes, who finished with 22 points (18 in the second half) and nine rebounds, tied the game twice with layups in the fourth quarter. The first came at the 3:52 mark (58-58), the second came with 3:05 remaining.
Miami’s Final Answer
Unfortunately, Miami negated both baskets, and IU couldn’t keep up, losing 70-68. The loss was devastating, but Coach Moren put things in perspective, reminding the team that they had a special season that will be remembered for years to come. Even though the team is hurting now, they will be remembered as one of the best in history.
In summary, Miami’s women’s basketball team was a force to be reckoned with, dominating rebounds, scoring in transition, and attacking inside. IU struggled to find its comfort level, but Holmes made a presence in the second half. However, Miami had an answer to every basket Holmes made, and IU lost a heartbreaker 70-68.
Missed opportunities and lapses in defense lead to Indiana’s heartbreaking loss against Miami
On Monday night, the Indiana Hoosiers Women’s Basketball team experienced a heartbreaking loss against the Miami Hurricanes, ending their historic season in front of a stunned crowd at the Assembly Hall. Indiana was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and this was their best season in the history of their women’s basketball program. However, Miami was just too good, rebounding well and exhibiting great athleticism, which allowed them to attack inside and ultimately defeat Indiana.
Miami’s Lola Pendande was a force to be reckoned with
Miami’s senior center, Lola Pendande, was instrumental in the victory over Indiana. She tallied 19 points and seven rebounds, accounting for eight of Miami’s first 11 points. Indiana’s defense struggled to contain her inside, which proved to be a significant challenge throughout the game.
Indiana missed opportunities cost them the game
Indiana had several missed opportunities that proved costly for them. After a strong start to the third quarter, Indiana’s offense stalled out, with five missed shots and two turnovers over their next seven possessions. This spoiled their excellent defensive stretch, where they held Miami without a field goal for seven minutes and without a point for six minutes.
Indiana’s poor performance at the free-throw line also hurt them, with Garzon missing a crucial opportunity to make it a two-point game. Holmes also missed a chance to give Indiana their first lead of the night, which Miami quickly responded to with a Pedande 2 and a Hanna Cavinder 3-pointer. Although Garzon tied the score at 65 with 49 seconds left, Miami held on to win by two points, 70-68.
Indiana stats
Indiana’s Ali Patberg struggled to find her rhythm in the first half, only scoring four points on 2-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and a block. However, she came back strong in the second half, tallying 18 points and nine rebounds. Grace Berger had a great game as well, contributing 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Yarden Garzon rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and two assists, while Chloe Moore-McNeil added nine points and four assists.
Indiana shot 41% from the field and was out-rebounded 35-29. Garzon hit three 3-pointers, breaking the single-season record for 3-pointers by a freshman.
Final thoughts
Indiana’s loss was undoubtedly disappointing, especially after such a remarkable season. However, Coach Moren was quick to offer perspective, stating that this team would go down in history as one of the very best, and for that, she was grateful. While the pain of the loss will be felt for some time, Indiana will undoubtedly learn from the experience and come back even stronger next season.
Parrish praised freshman Yarden Garzon for her impressive performance in the NCAA Tournament, saying that “she’s a really special player.” Garzon hit three 3-pointers to break the single-season record for 3-pointers by a freshman.
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