Indiana University Athletics
Clicking On All Cylinders: Hoosiers Peaking At The Right Time Heading Into Sweet 16
3/24/2021 10:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
SAN ANTONIO - The shot wasn't falling. Big deal. Aleksa Gulbe had other things she could do during Monday's huge NCAA tourney second-round opportunity.
Defend, lead and, of course, rebound.
The 6-3 junior forward could always get missed shots, always find a way to get balls others couldn't, starting from her standout days in her native Latvia.
And now here was under-sized Belmont, seeking to duplicate its first-round upset of Gonzaga by taking down the fourth-seeded Hoosiers (20-5).
Not happening. Not at San Antonio's Greehey Arena, not with program history within reach.
Gulbe's career-high 15-rebound effort was a big reason, but not the only one, for IU's 70-48 victory. The reward is IU's first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 64-team format. It comes Saturday against top-seed North Carolina State (22-2)
"Aleksa is huge for us," guard Grace Berger said via Zoom press conference. "It's great to hear she had 15 rebounds because a lot of things she does doesn't show up in the stat sheet.
"She's by far one of our most important players. She never wants any of the credit. To see her get 15 is big time, but it's nothing she doesn't do for us every game."
Gulbe's relentless glass-attacking is not surprising given what she did in late December against Nebraska (12 rebounds) and then VCU (10) during Monday's NCAA tourney opener.
"She's athletic and mobile," coach Teri Moren said. "She's had a hard time finding her shot, but makes up for it by rebounding. That's the mark of a mature, experienced player who gets it. If the shot is not falling, find another way to affect the game."
Gulbe's 3-for-12 shooting did generate a coaching moment for Moren as she considered a defensive-minded North Carolina team that has won 10 straight games
"As we move on the next round, we need her to score better around the rim."
Gulbe had plenty of difference-making company with Berger (17 points, six rebounds), Mackenzie Holmes (13 points, seven rebounds), Ali Patberg (13, four) and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (10, five and lock-down defense).
Berger's strong effort included 6-for-12 shooting, three assists, three steals and no turnovers, typical for a player who leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season.
"I'm an upperclassman now," she says. "I'm someone I hope my team can depend on to be solid."
All this showcased the kind of dominance crucial for a deep March Madness run.
"There's a lot of excitement," Berger said. "Any time you're the first team to do stuff in your program, it's a big deal. This is why we all came to Indiana.
"We came for Coach Moren and her vision. We all bought into that vision. We believed we could do things that haven't been done before. This is something we've expected all along."
For good reason. IU has a program-record six straight 20-win seasons. It's won 11 of its last 12 games with a full-throttle approach that can break the will of opponents.
"We've been able to wear teams down, particularly in the second half," Moren said. "They're conditioned to push the pace.
"I've given them more freedom offensively than I ever have in 27 years of coaching. You can do that when you have a veteran team and a team you can trust to make the right decisions."
Belmont's 11-game winning streak and upset victory over Gonzaga in the opening round was of no relevance against a dialed-in Indiana that has won its first two tourney games by 31 and 22 points.
"I love how we've gone about our work," Moren said. "The confidence they are playing with. It's amazing what can happen when no one gets the credit."
IU briefly fell behind 10-8, then turned ruthless. Belmont (21-6) opened 6-for-11 from the field, then followed with a 3-for-27 stretch.
"They came out ready and hit shots," Berger said. "We didn't let that frazzle us. We stuck to our game plan. We did what we had to do. We took pride in our defense. We tried to make things tough for them and it paid off."
Berger and Holmes were early catalysts as the Hoosiers pushed ahead 15-12 after the first quarter. They pitched a shutout in the final 4:27 of the second quarter for a 30-18 halftime lead.
With this much defense and offense, there was zero chance IU would blow that advantage.
A minute into the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers led 53-33. By that point, Gulbe had 13 rebounds, Berger and Patberg had scored in double figures, and Cardaño-Hillary was about to join them.
A few minutes later, IU was in the Sweet 16 and all things seemed possible.
"We know we're not done yet," Berger said. "We're ready to play this weekend."
The aftermath earned Moren a locker room soaking from her players, which is why she arrived wet to her Zoom conference.
"They got me pretty good. That's OK. Wet pants, wet hair, wet shirt. To watch the pure joy these kids have is well worth it."
IUHoosiers.com
SAN ANTONIO - The shot wasn't falling. Big deal. Aleksa Gulbe had other things she could do during Monday's huge NCAA tourney second-round opportunity.
Defend, lead and, of course, rebound.
The 6-3 junior forward could always get missed shots, always find a way to get balls others couldn't, starting from her standout days in her native Latvia.
And now here was under-sized Belmont, seeking to duplicate its first-round upset of Gonzaga by taking down the fourth-seeded Hoosiers (20-5).
Not happening. Not at San Antonio's Greehey Arena, not with program history within reach.
Gulbe's career-high 15-rebound effort was a big reason, but not the only one, for IU's 70-48 victory. The reward is IU's first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 64-team format. It comes Saturday against top-seed North Carolina State (22-2)
"Aleksa is huge for us," guard Grace Berger said via Zoom press conference. "It's great to hear she had 15 rebounds because a lot of things she does doesn't show up in the stat sheet.
"She's by far one of our most important players. She never wants any of the credit. To see her get 15 is big time, but it's nothing she doesn't do for us every game."
Gulbe's relentless glass-attacking is not surprising given what she did in late December against Nebraska (12 rebounds) and then VCU (10) during Monday's NCAA tourney opener.
"She's athletic and mobile," coach Teri Moren said. "She's had a hard time finding her shot, but makes up for it by rebounding. That's the mark of a mature, experienced player who gets it. If the shot is not falling, find another way to affect the game."
Gulbe's 3-for-12 shooting did generate a coaching moment for Moren as she considered a defensive-minded North Carolina team that has won 10 straight games
"As we move on the next round, we need her to score better around the rim."
Gulbe had plenty of difference-making company with Berger (17 points, six rebounds), Mackenzie Holmes (13 points, seven rebounds), Ali Patberg (13, four) and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (10, five and lock-down defense).
Berger's strong effort included 6-for-12 shooting, three assists, three steals and no turnovers, typical for a player who leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season.
"I'm an upperclassman now," she says. "I'm someone I hope my team can depend on to be solid."
All this showcased the kind of dominance crucial for a deep March Madness run.
"There's a lot of excitement," Berger said. "Any time you're the first team to do stuff in your program, it's a big deal. This is why we all came to Indiana.
"We came for Coach Moren and her vision. We all bought into that vision. We believed we could do things that haven't been done before. This is something we've expected all along."
For good reason. IU has a program-record six straight 20-win seasons. It's won 11 of its last 12 games with a full-throttle approach that can break the will of opponents.
"We've been able to wear teams down, particularly in the second half," Moren said. "They're conditioned to push the pace.
"I've given them more freedom offensively than I ever have in 27 years of coaching. You can do that when you have a veteran team and a team you can trust to make the right decisions."
Belmont's 11-game winning streak and upset victory over Gonzaga in the opening round was of no relevance against a dialed-in Indiana that has won its first two tourney games by 31 and 22 points.
"I love how we've gone about our work," Moren said. "The confidence they are playing with. It's amazing what can happen when no one gets the credit."
IU briefly fell behind 10-8, then turned ruthless. Belmont (21-6) opened 6-for-11 from the field, then followed with a 3-for-27 stretch.
"They came out ready and hit shots," Berger said. "We didn't let that frazzle us. We stuck to our game plan. We did what we had to do. We took pride in our defense. We tried to make things tough for them and it paid off."
Berger and Holmes were early catalysts as the Hoosiers pushed ahead 15-12 after the first quarter. They pitched a shutout in the final 4:27 of the second quarter for a 30-18 halftime lead.
With this much defense and offense, there was zero chance IU would blow that advantage.
A minute into the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers led 53-33. By that point, Gulbe had 13 rebounds, Berger and Patberg had scored in double figures, and Cardaño-Hillary was about to join them.
A few minutes later, IU was in the Sweet 16 and all things seemed possible.
"We know we're not done yet," Berger said. "We're ready to play this weekend."
The aftermath earned Moren a locker room soaking from her players, which is why she arrived wet to her Zoom conference.
"They got me pretty good. That's OK. Wet pants, wet hair, wet shirt. To watch the pure joy these kids have is well worth it."
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