Despite loss to USC, IU women's basketball looks ready for NCAA tournament
Moren designated Moore-McNeil and Lexus Bargesser as the primary defenders on Watkins Friday afternoon and the pair continuously forced difficult shots. Sydney Parrish lauded their ability to stick with Watkins and deny her from getting to her spots, but she still exploded for 31 points and made 10 of her 13 shots from the free-throw line.
Watkins frequently drove downhill and embraced contact, using her body control and savvy to draw fouls at a high rate.
“It’s something that I’ve never seen in a player,” Parrish said.
Regardless, there wasn’t a moment where Indiana let small deficits spiral. The Hoosiers never trailed by more than nine points and they were down just 71-68 with a little over three minutes remaining. A pair of back-to-back USC triples proved too costly to overcome, but Indiana’s effort down the stretch was striking.
“We didn’t let them get away from us,” Moore-McNeil said. “We showed that fight continuously.”
“I feel like we all gave everything we had,” Yarden Garzon said. “I feel like we left it all on the court.”
Garzon led Indiana with 23 points, her fifth 20-plus point outing of the season. She shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and her fourth 3-pointer cut the Trojans’ lead to just two points heading into the fourth quarter.
Ciezki, Moore-McNeil and Karoline Striplin all finished in double figures, as well. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said the Trojans planned on limiting Indiana’s outside shooting opportunities and they were content with conceding layups to deny those perimeter looks.
She said losing a dominant post presence like Mackenzie Holmes led to a shift in identity for the Hoosiers this season but added that they’re going to be a “very dangerous” team in the NCAA tournament.
Indeed, Indiana took time to settle in with a squad that lost a star in Holmes and a reliable sharpshooter in Sara Scalia. Its consecutive losses to Harvard and Butler in November seemed concerning at the time. The Hoosiers were a bit inconsistent throughout Big Ten play, but once the postseason began, it was all moot.
“When we play together and we play connected like we have in the last two games,” Moore-McNeil said, “we can go against anybody.”
Against a team like USC, who finished the regular season 26-2 and 17-1 in conference play, Indiana couldn’t have asked for a much more imposing challenge. Watkins was the only player in the Big Ten to average more than 20 points per game this season and the Trojans led the conference in scoring and ranked second in scoring defense.
The Hoosiers were afforded a unique test and their fight was on full display. With the NCAA tournament bracket selection coming on March 16, Moren didn’t express any concern regarding Indiana’s spot in the pool.
“There’s not even a case to be made,” Moren said. “Based on what we’ve been able to do, the history of the last 10 years, with our experience, I’m not worried about trying to make a case.”
While Indiana didn’t achieve its goal of playing for the Big Ten tournament title, Friday’s effort was a statement on its own. Unlike the Hoosiers’ 74-60 loss to Maryland on Feb. 28 — when Moren called out the team for a lack of focus — the past two games served as a reminder of the team’s potential.
“I know this about these guys,” Moren said. “They can play with anybody in the country.”
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Category: Women's Basketball
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