“Just Enough To Win” – Hoosiers Headed To Second-Straight Sweet Sixteen
3/22/2022 1:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- One stop.
It came down to that in Monday night's nail biter of an NCAA tourney second-round finish.
Could No. 3 seed Indiana get the stop?
Would 11th-seed Princeton, at last, blink?
The short answers -- yes, and barely.
The long answers are far more complicated.
The Hoosiers led 54-52 thanks to a Grace Berger layup. Princeton had the ball as the clock ticked under 25 seconds, then 20, then 15. IU guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary stared a hole into Kaitlyn Chen just beyond the three-point line. She eyed the clock, Chen, the clock, Chen.
Chen drove, Cardaño-Hillary matched her and when the frenzy was over, guard Ali Patberg had the ball, forward Aleksa Gulbe made a pair of clutch free throws and the Hoosiers escaped 56-55 in front of 9,627 fans at Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"We had just enough to get the win," coach Teri Moren said.
IU (24-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season. It faces a Saturday matchup with Connecticut (27-5) in Connecticut.
"It's special," Berger said. "Playing for Indiana means everything for me. Four years ago, we struggled to get into the tournament. To see us get to (a) Sweet Sixteen two years in a row is special. I hope we can keep it going for our seniors."
Flash back to that final defensive sequence.
"The main thing was to not give up a three," Berger said. "Nicki was pressing the ball. We forced (Chen) to rush. We made it hard for her to make a play. It was team defense."
Moren's instructions were simple:
"Keep your man in front of you. Level them off. Nicky, you don't have to stab and miss. Ten toes to 10 toes. Then we had to rebound."
IU did that, and more.
With the season at stake, the Hoosiers kept scrambling, battling and diving. Loose balls were as precious as an engagement.
"We wanted to take the fight to Princeton," Moren said. "It's the fight that won the game."
As for thriving under the pressure, Moren added, "It's powerful and stressful. They don't want it to end, but you don't want it to end, either. You try to will them to the finish line. We want to keep this thing going as long as we can."
In the aftermath, gimpy knee and all, forward Mackenzie Holmes ran up the bleacher steps and into an IU student frenzy. Her teammates joined her.
"I wanted them to know how much we appreciate them," Holmes said. "I ran over there, and then, screw it, I'll go high-five them. We couldn't have done this without them."
And then, on Branch McCracken Court, the Hoosiers celebrated with each other, even briefly hoisting Moren into the air as a conquering hero.
On this night, they all were.
"I was thinking about Ali (Patberg) and all the seniors, about how cool is it in the last game at the Hall, that you win," Moren said.
"Getting back to the Sweet Sixteen is extra special."
Princeton (25-5) had won 18 straight games behind a defense that gave up easy baskets about as often as Tom Brady kept a retirement vow. It hadn't allowed 70 points since its last loss, 70-53 against No. 12 Texas on Dec. 22.
IU unleashed its balanced attack to surge to a 14-point, early third-quarter lead.
Seventy points seemed within reach. The Hoosiers were poised for a knockout.
The Tigers knocked back. It held IU to just six third-quarter points. Blowout became cliffhanger.
It became a matter of will, toughness and resolve.
The Hoosiers had just enough of all three.
"We knew they would make a run," Holmes said. "It was a matter of not freaking out. We're a veteran team. We've been in these situations before. We were ready and didn't panic."
Added Moren: "It wasn't pretty. These guys have been through a lot. They're a veteran team, an experienced team. If there's time on the clock, we'll give ourselves chance."
Berger led IU with 15 points and seven rebounds. When it came time to set up the winning play, she was the obvious choice.
"She's Grace," Moren said. "We want her to make the play, and she did. Big-time players make big-time plays."
Cardaño-Hillary and the Tigers' Grace Stone opened the scoring with matching three-pointers.
A Cardaño-Hillary steal and free throw gave IU a 10-9 lead. After a Princeton steal and three-pointer, Chloe Moore-McNeil countered with a three-pointer for a 13-12 Hoosier edge.
Down 17-13 as the quarter drew to a close, IU ratcheted up the defense. A Moore-McNeil deflection led to a pair of Cardaño-Hillary free throws to tie the score. Then the Hoosiers pressured the Tigers into a wasted final possession. Cardaño-Hillary was the catalyst with eight points.
Patberg opened the second quarter with a four-point play, draining a three-pointer despite contact, then making the free throw for a 21-17 IU advantage.
The Hoosiers built a couple of four-point leads, but couldn't extend them until a Cardaño-Hillary jumper made it 33-27 with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. Moore-McNeil followed with a driving layup. The Hoosiers kept forcing the Tigers into misses, including a three-point airball. Berget hit a pair of mid-range jumpers for a 39-27 lead before Princeton ended the first half with two free throws for a 39-29 score. Berger and Moore-McNeil each had eight points. Cardano-Hillary had 10.
IU shot 62.5 percent from the field to Princeton's 36.7.
Berger shot the Hoosiers to a 43-29 lead midway through the third quarter. Princeton shot back within seven, then five. The third quarter ended with IU clinging to a 45-42 lead.
A 12-5 edge in points off turnovers kept the Tigers in the game.
Consecutive inside Holmes baskets pushed the Hoosiers ahead 49-42. Princeton roared back with an 8-0 run for a 50-49 lead with 5:09 left.
Moren called a timeout.
Cardaño-Hillary drove for a reverse layup to restore the Indiana lead, but not control. Princeton got offensive rebound after offensive rebound. It had a 10-1 edge in offensive rebounds, but only a 2-0 advantage in second-chance points. Still, it was enough for a 52-51 lead.
With 58.1 seconds left, Berger made a free throw for a 52-52 tie. Twenty seconds later, the Tigers missed a shot, Holmes rebounded and Moren called a timeout.
Berger drove for a layup and a two-point IU lead. Princeton called a timeout with 28.2 seconds left.
The Hoosiers forced an errant pass. Patberg picked it off. Gulbe made a pair of clinching free throws with 1.6 seconds left. Princeton's Abby Meyers hit a three-pointer as time expired.
Indiana was heading to Connecticut.
"They have great players," Princeton coach Carla Berube said. "They're big and strong. They made the plays. That's what it came down to. They can compete against anybody."
Added Moren: "To go to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens is special, but the job is not done."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- One stop.
It came down to that in Monday night's nail biter of an NCAA tourney second-round finish.
Could No. 3 seed Indiana get the stop?
Would 11th-seed Princeton, at last, blink?
The short answers -- yes, and barely.
The long answers are far more complicated.
The Hoosiers led 54-52 thanks to a Grace Berger layup. Princeton had the ball as the clock ticked under 25 seconds, then 20, then 15. IU guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary stared a hole into Kaitlyn Chen just beyond the three-point line. She eyed the clock, Chen, the clock, Chen.
Chen drove, Cardaño-Hillary matched her and when the frenzy was over, guard Ali Patberg had the ball, forward Aleksa Gulbe made a pair of clutch free throws and the Hoosiers escaped 56-55 in front of 9,627 fans at Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"We had just enough to get the win," coach Teri Moren said.
IU (24-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season. It faces a Saturday matchup with Connecticut (27-5) in Connecticut.
"It's special," Berger said. "Playing for Indiana means everything for me. Four years ago, we struggled to get into the tournament. To see us get to (a) Sweet Sixteen two years in a row is special. I hope we can keep it going for our seniors."
Flash back to that final defensive sequence.
"The main thing was to not give up a three," Berger said. "Nicki was pressing the ball. We forced (Chen) to rush. We made it hard for her to make a play. It was team defense."
Moren's instructions were simple:
"Keep your man in front of you. Level them off. Nicky, you don't have to stab and miss. Ten toes to 10 toes. Then we had to rebound."
IU did that, and more.
With the season at stake, the Hoosiers kept scrambling, battling and diving. Loose balls were as precious as an engagement.
"We wanted to take the fight to Princeton," Moren said. "It's the fight that won the game."
As for thriving under the pressure, Moren added, "It's powerful and stressful. They don't want it to end, but you don't want it to end, either. You try to will them to the finish line. We want to keep this thing going as long as we can."
In the aftermath, gimpy knee and all, forward Mackenzie Holmes ran up the bleacher steps and into an IU student frenzy. Her teammates joined her.
"I wanted them to know how much we appreciate them," Holmes said. "I ran over there, and then, screw it, I'll go high-five them. We couldn't have done this without them."
And then, on Branch McCracken Court, the Hoosiers celebrated with each other, even briefly hoisting Moren into the air as a conquering hero.
On this night, they all were.
"I was thinking about Ali (Patberg) and all the seniors, about how cool is it in the last game at the Hall, that you win," Moren said.
"Getting back to the Sweet Sixteen is extra special."
Princeton (25-5) had won 18 straight games behind a defense that gave up easy baskets about as often as Tom Brady kept a retirement vow. It hadn't allowed 70 points since its last loss, 70-53 against No. 12 Texas on Dec. 22.
IU unleashed its balanced attack to surge to a 14-point, early third-quarter lead.
Seventy points seemed within reach. The Hoosiers were poised for a knockout.
The Tigers knocked back. It held IU to just six third-quarter points. Blowout became cliffhanger.
It became a matter of will, toughness and resolve.
The Hoosiers had just enough of all three.
"We knew they would make a run," Holmes said. "It was a matter of not freaking out. We're a veteran team. We've been in these situations before. We were ready and didn't panic."
Added Moren: "It wasn't pretty. These guys have been through a lot. They're a veteran team, an experienced team. If there's time on the clock, we'll give ourselves chance."
Berger led IU with 15 points and seven rebounds. When it came time to set up the winning play, she was the obvious choice.
"She's Grace," Moren said. "We want her to make the play, and she did. Big-time players make big-time plays."
Cardaño-Hillary and the Tigers' Grace Stone opened the scoring with matching three-pointers.
A Cardaño-Hillary steal and free throw gave IU a 10-9 lead. After a Princeton steal and three-pointer, Chloe Moore-McNeil countered with a three-pointer for a 13-12 Hoosier edge.
Down 17-13 as the quarter drew to a close, IU ratcheted up the defense. A Moore-McNeil deflection led to a pair of Cardaño-Hillary free throws to tie the score. Then the Hoosiers pressured the Tigers into a wasted final possession. Cardaño-Hillary was the catalyst with eight points.
Patberg opened the second quarter with a four-point play, draining a three-pointer despite contact, then making the free throw for a 21-17 IU advantage.
The Hoosiers built a couple of four-point leads, but couldn't extend them until a Cardaño-Hillary jumper made it 33-27 with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. Moore-McNeil followed with a driving layup. The Hoosiers kept forcing the Tigers into misses, including a three-point airball. Berget hit a pair of mid-range jumpers for a 39-27 lead before Princeton ended the first half with two free throws for a 39-29 score. Berger and Moore-McNeil each had eight points. Cardano-Hillary had 10.
IU shot 62.5 percent from the field to Princeton's 36.7.
Berger shot the Hoosiers to a 43-29 lead midway through the third quarter. Princeton shot back within seven, then five. The third quarter ended with IU clinging to a 45-42 lead.
A 12-5 edge in points off turnovers kept the Tigers in the game.
Consecutive inside Holmes baskets pushed the Hoosiers ahead 49-42. Princeton roared back with an 8-0 run for a 50-49 lead with 5:09 left.
Moren called a timeout.
Cardaño-Hillary drove for a reverse layup to restore the Indiana lead, but not control. Princeton got offensive rebound after offensive rebound. It had a 10-1 edge in offensive rebounds, but only a 2-0 advantage in second-chance points. Still, it was enough for a 52-51 lead.
With 58.1 seconds left, Berger made a free throw for a 52-52 tie. Twenty seconds later, the Tigers missed a shot, Holmes rebounded and Moren called a timeout.
Berger drove for a layup and a two-point IU lead. Princeton called a timeout with 28.2 seconds left.
The Hoosiers forced an errant pass. Patberg picked it off. Gulbe made a pair of clinching free throws with 1.6 seconds left. Princeton's Abby Meyers hit a three-pointer as time expired.
Indiana was heading to Connecticut.
"They have great players," Princeton coach Carla Berube said. "They're big and strong. They made the plays. That's what it came down to. They can compete against anybody."
Added Moren: "To go to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens is special, but the job is not done."
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