Indiana University Athletics
'We're Built For These Moments' - Grit, Good Juice Help No. 6 Hoosiers Over No. 9 Terps
1/12/2023 10:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Pressure?
Of course.
Crunch-time arrived Thursday night and a double-digit Indiana lead against No. 9 Maryland was gone.
Opportunity was not.
You'd better believe the No. 6 Hoosiers were ready at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and it started with this simple premise:
Get Grace Berger the ball.
The senior guard, who had returned to action last Sunday after being out for nearly two months with a knee injury, did what needed to be done in the closing minutes -- by pass, by basket, by free throw, by defense, by decision making.
The result -- a 68-61 victory that kept the Hoosiers (15-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten) just behind third-ranked Ohio State (17-0, 6-0) in the Big Ten standings.
"This was a hard-played game," IU coach Teri Moren said. "I'm proud of our resilience, our toughness, especially when they tied it and we had to make a stand.
"We put the ball in Grace's hands. We had her be our decision maker."
Berger was back for Sunday's Northwestern victory, and totaled 16 points, five assists and two steals.
She was ready then. She was more ready Thursday night as a starter in a game with huge Big Ten implications. She totaled 11 points, eight assists and four rebounds in 35 minutes.
"She gives us a lot of help," forward Sydney Parrish said. "It lifts a big weight off our shoulders. She can do a lot of things with the ball. Her confidence radiates through the whole team."
Added forward Mackenzie Holmes: "She means so much to us and Hoosier National We worked so hard to get back on the court. Her confidence and the way she goes about her business. We follow her lead."
Case in point -- in three crunch-time possession, Berger passed to Yarden Garzon for a three-pointer, passed to Parrish for a jumper, and scored a basket. She later made three clutch free throws.
"Grace makes everybody better," Moren said. "We feel good when the ball is in her hands. You know there's a high probability she will make the right decision."
As far as the game, forget finesse. This was 40 minutes of competitive ferocity featuring full-throttle action, bruising physicality and beyond-the-norm turnovers (a combined 35) and missed free throws (14).
The Hoosiers made the most of it.
"Our mantra is to be the tougher team and throw the first punch," said Holmes, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double. "We knew Maryland would be ultra-aggressive. We had to take those blows and keep fighting back."
Maryland (13-4, 4-2) arrived with a five-game winning streak, including a victory over No. 6 UConn, and a 12-2 series edge against the Hoosiers.
But IU's victories had come last season.
Whatever dominance the Terps had was gone.
Still, they had plenty of talent. Senior forward Diamond Miller (averages of 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds) and sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers (14.7 points) rated among the Big Ten's best.
The Hoosiers countered with Berger, Holmes, Parrish (who led IU with 18 points), Chloe Moore-McNeil, Garzon and, most importantly, the will to win.
"That's what I'm most proud of," Moren said. "You have to have competitors no matter who is on the floor. We keep instilling good belief and juice. We're built for these moments. This is a group that stays together. It has some moxie."
IU preparations included this over-riding priority:
Limit turnovers.
With 19 turnovers, that didn't work out, but on this night, it didn't matter.
"We played gritty basketball," Moren said. "We found a way."
The Hoosiers had four turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, and the last one cost them the end-of-quarter lead.
That back-and-forth first period featured six lead changes and six ties before Maryland ended it with a 20-19 advantage.
It didn't last long. Holmes needed 20 second-quarter seconds to score inside. Parrish drained consecutive three-pointers. Lilly Meister added a basket. Berger scored her first basket. IU led 31-23 and looked for more.
It found it with a Holmes layup and a 33-23 lead. Maryland ended Indiana's 9-0 run and its own five-minute-plus scoring drought with a pair of baskets. Parrish countered with a jumper for a 35-27 halftime Indiana lead. Parrish led with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Holmes had eight points, plus six rebounds. Berger only had two points, but a team-leading five assists.
IU built a double-digit third quarter lead. Maryland cut it to five. The Hoosiers entered the final period ahead 48-42.
Holmes got a rebound basket. Maryland's Miller countered with eight points (she'd finish with a game-high 19). It was 50-50 with six minutes left.
Enter Cream and Crimson lightning.
In 90 seconds, Garzon buried a three-pointer. Parrish hit a short jumper. Berger added a jumper. IU led 57-50 with 4:35 left.
Holmes followed with a layup and a nine-point lead as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Maryland cut it to 59-54. With the shot clocking winding down, Berger drove the lane and passed to an open Garzon, who beat the buzzer with her third three-pointer and a 62-54 lead.
The Terps countered with three-point and two-point baskets. The Hoosiers countered back with three free throws from Moore-McNeil and Berger.
Maryland was finished. IU was, in so many ways, just getting started.
"We're a team that doesn't have any quit," Holmes said. "We fight till the last buzzer. We kept foot on the pedal on the defensive end.
"Any time you beat Maryland, it's a big win. This was one we knew we needed."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Pressure?
Of course.
Crunch-time arrived Thursday night and a double-digit Indiana lead against No. 9 Maryland was gone.
Opportunity was not.
You'd better believe the No. 6 Hoosiers were ready at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and it started with this simple premise:
Get Grace Berger the ball.
The senior guard, who had returned to action last Sunday after being out for nearly two months with a knee injury, did what needed to be done in the closing minutes -- by pass, by basket, by free throw, by defense, by decision making.
The result -- a 68-61 victory that kept the Hoosiers (15-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten) just behind third-ranked Ohio State (17-0, 6-0) in the Big Ten standings.
"This was a hard-played game," IU coach Teri Moren said. "I'm proud of our resilience, our toughness, especially when they tied it and we had to make a stand.
"We put the ball in Grace's hands. We had her be our decision maker."
Berger was back for Sunday's Northwestern victory, and totaled 16 points, five assists and two steals.
She was ready then. She was more ready Thursday night as a starter in a game with huge Big Ten implications. She totaled 11 points, eight assists and four rebounds in 35 minutes.
"She gives us a lot of help," forward Sydney Parrish said. "It lifts a big weight off our shoulders. She can do a lot of things with the ball. Her confidence radiates through the whole team."
Added forward Mackenzie Holmes: "She means so much to us and Hoosier National We worked so hard to get back on the court. Her confidence and the way she goes about her business. We follow her lead."
Case in point -- in three crunch-time possession, Berger passed to Yarden Garzon for a three-pointer, passed to Parrish for a jumper, and scored a basket. She later made three clutch free throws.
"Grace makes everybody better," Moren said. "We feel good when the ball is in her hands. You know there's a high probability she will make the right decision."
As far as the game, forget finesse. This was 40 minutes of competitive ferocity featuring full-throttle action, bruising physicality and beyond-the-norm turnovers (a combined 35) and missed free throws (14).
The Hoosiers made the most of it.
"Our mantra is to be the tougher team and throw the first punch," said Holmes, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double. "We knew Maryland would be ultra-aggressive. We had to take those blows and keep fighting back."
Maryland (13-4, 4-2) arrived with a five-game winning streak, including a victory over No. 6 UConn, and a 12-2 series edge against the Hoosiers.
But IU's victories had come last season.
Whatever dominance the Terps had was gone.
Still, they had plenty of talent. Senior forward Diamond Miller (averages of 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds) and sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers (14.7 points) rated among the Big Ten's best.
The Hoosiers countered with Berger, Holmes, Parrish (who led IU with 18 points), Chloe Moore-McNeil, Garzon and, most importantly, the will to win.
"That's what I'm most proud of," Moren said. "You have to have competitors no matter who is on the floor. We keep instilling good belief and juice. We're built for these moments. This is a group that stays together. It has some moxie."
IU preparations included this over-riding priority:
Limit turnovers.
With 19 turnovers, that didn't work out, but on this night, it didn't matter.
"We played gritty basketball," Moren said. "We found a way."
The Hoosiers had four turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, and the last one cost them the end-of-quarter lead.
That back-and-forth first period featured six lead changes and six ties before Maryland ended it with a 20-19 advantage.
It didn't last long. Holmes needed 20 second-quarter seconds to score inside. Parrish drained consecutive three-pointers. Lilly Meister added a basket. Berger scored her first basket. IU led 31-23 and looked for more.
It found it with a Holmes layup and a 33-23 lead. Maryland ended Indiana's 9-0 run and its own five-minute-plus scoring drought with a pair of baskets. Parrish countered with a jumper for a 35-27 halftime Indiana lead. Parrish led with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Holmes had eight points, plus six rebounds. Berger only had two points, but a team-leading five assists.
IU built a double-digit third quarter lead. Maryland cut it to five. The Hoosiers entered the final period ahead 48-42.
Holmes got a rebound basket. Maryland's Miller countered with eight points (she'd finish with a game-high 19). It was 50-50 with six minutes left.
Enter Cream and Crimson lightning.
In 90 seconds, Garzon buried a three-pointer. Parrish hit a short jumper. Berger added a jumper. IU led 57-50 with 4:35 left.
Holmes followed with a layup and a nine-point lead as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Maryland cut it to 59-54. With the shot clocking winding down, Berger drove the lane and passed to an open Garzon, who beat the buzzer with her third three-pointer and a 62-54 lead.
The Terps countered with three-point and two-point baskets. The Hoosiers countered back with three free throws from Moore-McNeil and Berger.
Maryland was finished. IU was, in so many ways, just getting started.
"We're a team that doesn't have any quit," Holmes said. "We fight till the last buzzer. We kept foot on the pedal on the defensive end.
"Any time you beat Maryland, it's a big win. This was one we knew we needed."
Players Mentioned
Guard
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Guard
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Forward
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Forward
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Guard
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