Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
2-Seed (#12/18) Iowa
No. 14 Indiana Falls In Big Ten Title Game
3/6/2022 6:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
INDIANPOLIS – 5-seed Indiana fell 74-67 to 2-seed Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
KEY MOMENTS
- Graduate student guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary with 6 points to lead Indiana early including two steals to put the Hoosiers up, 12-7. Their lead dwindled on a 6-0 run by the Hawkeyes as Indiana fell behind by two, 18-16 after one. Cardaño-Hillary drive and two at the line opened the second as the two teams traded ties for a majority of the first minutes of the second quarter.
- Going without a field goal for a six-plus minute stretch, Indiana broke a drought from the floor with a Gulbe triple and a Berger buzzer beating layup to bring IU within two, 35-33.
- Indiana kept the momentum in the third, building on a 16-2 run as Berger's signature jumper helped build a 42-37 lead. But Indiana went on to shoot just 35.1 percent in the third as Iowa took control for what would be good with 3:13 to go.
- In the fourth, IU made the game in to a one-possession bout on two occasions but couldn't stop the hot-shooting Hawkeyes who went 8-for-12 to close out the game.
NOTABLE
- Berger led the way in scoring with 20 points. Berger grabbed a team high tying seven rebounds.
- Cardaño-Hillary put away 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
- Berger and Cardaño-Hillary both earnd spots on the Big Ten All-Tournament team. They join Ali Patberg (2019, 2020), Cyndi Valentin (2006) and Jill Champan and Heather Cassady (2002) to make the five-person team.
- Holmes was in double figures with 11 points. Holmes also grabbed seven rebounds.
- Gulbe scored 11 points with six rebounds.
- Graduate student guard Ali Patberg dished out a team leading five assists while also knocking down six points.
- The Hoosiers got a slight edge in rebounding with 36 compared to Iowa's 34.
- As a team, Indiana had six steals. Cardaño-Hillary and Holmes collected two apiece for a team high.
- The Hoosiers grabbed 14 offensive rebounds while the Hawkeyes only had six.
- Indiana set a plethora of new Big Ten Tournament records with the completion of the tournament on Sunday. Most notable includes Berger setting a new record for most points in a tournament (63), made field goals (25) and rebounds (30). Patberg tied a program-record eight 3-pointers while Cardaño-Hillary set the steals record.
- As a team, they set program tournament records for most points (265), field goals (94), 3-point field goals (17), free throws (60) and rebounds (145).
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
"Just a real quick thank you to our fans, Hoosier Nation, who showed up here in Indianapolis to support our team. It meant a lot. And we're really grateful. I do think we've positioned ourselves to host in the NCAA Tournament. So we'll look forward to having Hoosier Nation back in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall here. And really appreciate all the support. Certainly we're disappointed that we didn't get the outcome that we had hoped for. Didn't shoot the ball particularly well today. We knew we were going to some man-to-man, we would see zone. But whether it was a little bit fatigue, tired legs, I'm not sure. I think we got some really good looks. They just didn't go down for us, and sometimes that just happens in the game. But I can tell you this, my staff, we're all very, very proud of what we've been able to do here the last four days in Indianapolis. As I said to our kids, we had such a tough ending to the regular season of Big Ten [play] because of the schedule that we were handed. And we had every reason to come to Indy and fold and not be who we are and who we know we are. But we looked at it as a new season. I'm really proud of how they put things behind them in the rear-view mirror and how well they played. You want to peak right now in March. I felt we were starting to do that today. We didn't. Came up a little short. But nonetheless, really proud. As I reminded our kids, we are still one of the best women's basketball teams in the country. And that's what I'm most proud of."
UP NEXT
Indiana awaits the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball postseason selection show on Sunday, March 13.
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