Indiana University Athletics
Second Half Adjustments, Home Court Advantage A Catalyst For 4-Seed IU
3/23/2024 6:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sara Scalia raised her arms, beckoning for cheers, and the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd responded.
Decibel levels threatened eardrums. Energy levels peaked.
This was home court advantage at its most formidable, and it was too much for 13th-seed Fairfield in Indiana's 89-56 NCAA tourney opening victory on Saturday.
Scalia was the senior guard catalyst with a game-high 27 points that included 5-for-10 three-point shooting. No Hoosier had ever scored so many points in an NCAA tourney game. The previous high was 25 by Denise Jackson in 1983.
The five three-pointers were also an IU single-game NCAA tourney record.
"I continue to play my role, continue to have the same mindset and play my game," Scalia said.
Or, as IU coach Teri Moren understated it, "Sara had a special afternoon."
This didn't surprise Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis. She had worked with Scalia for three years while a Minnesota assistant. Scalia made 214 three-pointers as a Gopher before transferring to Indiana.
"Sara is an incredible player," Thibault-DuBonis said. "In the three years I coached her, she was always in the gym and continued to get better."
Thibault-DuDonis said the Stags game-planned to slow down Scalia, without success.
"She's that good. She was able to get to her spots on the floor. She was still able to get separation from the screens. She's savvy and has always been creative. She did a great job in help carrying her team to a win."
Scalia pushed her program single-season three-point record to 100. She has scored as many as 32 points as a Hoosier, and averages 16.5 points per game.
"It's always good for a shooter to have a good shooting game," she said. "It brings more confidence and opens it up for my teammates.
"It's a good start for the tournament for me and the team. I think it will open things more."
With the game still in doubt in the third quarter, Scalia hit a three-pointer and urged on the crowd.
The cheers mattered. IU delivered the 21-9 knockout third-quarter closing punch. They had a 25-7 fourth-quarter edge.
"We need the crowd to get us going," Scalia said. "We had the home advantage. We have a big fan base. When it gets loud, helps build our energy."
It can also sap the energy from opposing teams.
"The atmosphere was something that was hard to compete against," Fairfield guard Janelle Brown said. "We couldn't hear the plays and couldn't hear what Coach was saying."
Added Thibault-DuDonis: "This is a tough environment to play in."
It wasn't all negative, added Stags guard Emina Selimovic.
"The crowd was more than we were used to, but it makes basketball more fun."
IU (25-5) unleashed all its weapons in advancing to Monday's second-round matchup against Oklahoma (23-9), which beat Florida Gulf Coast in the second game.
It had 25 assists on 31 made baskets. It had a 44-29 rebounding edge and a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint. It held the Stags (31-2) to 32 percent shooting while blocking a season-high10 shots.
"That's a very good Fairfield team," Moren said. "They had an unbelievable season. They gave us everything we wanted in the first half with their ball movement and body movement."
Fairfield hadn't lost since Nov. 12 at Vanderbilt. Its 29-game winning streak came from speed (highlighted by Brown, the MAAC player-of-the-year), depth and three-point shooting.
The Hoosiers negated it with three-point shooters of their own in Scalia, Yarden Garzon, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish. They combined to make 10 of 24 attempts.
Garzon, Moore-McNeill and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 13 points.
"We made some adjustments in the second half," Moren said. "The offense finally got going. We had balanced scoring. To have 25 assists on 31 baskets is really good."
Fairfield countered IU's size advantage with full-throttle pace. Still, a Garzon three-pointer and a Scalia jumper gave the Hoosiers a 15-10 early lead. Holmes' three-point play left IU ahead 20-17 after the first quarter.
A four-point second-quarter Hoosier lead became a five-point deficit. A Lexus Bargesser basket off a Holmes assist, a Garzon three-pointer, a pair of Moore-McNeil free throws and a Holmes basket pushed the Hoosiers ahead 36-31. They reached halftime leading 38-34 and determined to end any chance of an upset.
"We know how important the third quarter is for us," Garzon said. "We understood what it would require to win. We locked our defense in and started to play like us."
A three-point barrage from both teams was followed by a 13-0 run to boost IU to a 64-49 lead at the end of the third quarter. The lead swelled to 20 points a minute into the final quarter.
Shortly after that, out came the Hoosier starters. In came the reserves. IU would advance.
"Indiana is an incredible team," Thibault-DuDonis said. I hope they win the whole thing."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sara Scalia raised her arms, beckoning for cheers, and the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd responded.
Decibel levels threatened eardrums. Energy levels peaked.
This was home court advantage at its most formidable, and it was too much for 13th-seed Fairfield in Indiana's 89-56 NCAA tourney opening victory on Saturday.
Scalia was the senior guard catalyst with a game-high 27 points that included 5-for-10 three-point shooting. No Hoosier had ever scored so many points in an NCAA tourney game. The previous high was 25 by Denise Jackson in 1983.
The five three-pointers were also an IU single-game NCAA tourney record.
"I continue to play my role, continue to have the same mindset and play my game," Scalia said.
Or, as IU coach Teri Moren understated it, "Sara had a special afternoon."
This didn't surprise Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis. She had worked with Scalia for three years while a Minnesota assistant. Scalia made 214 three-pointers as a Gopher before transferring to Indiana.
"Sara is an incredible player," Thibault-DuBonis said. "In the three years I coached her, she was always in the gym and continued to get better."
Thibault-DuDonis said the Stags game-planned to slow down Scalia, without success.
"She's that good. She was able to get to her spots on the floor. She was still able to get separation from the screens. She's savvy and has always been creative. She did a great job in help carrying her team to a win."
Scalia pushed her program single-season three-point record to 100. She has scored as many as 32 points as a Hoosier, and averages 16.5 points per game.
"It's always good for a shooter to have a good shooting game," she said. "It brings more confidence and opens it up for my teammates.
"It's a good start for the tournament for me and the team. I think it will open things more."
With the game still in doubt in the third quarter, Scalia hit a three-pointer and urged on the crowd.
The cheers mattered. IU delivered the 21-9 knockout third-quarter closing punch. They had a 25-7 fourth-quarter edge.
"We need the crowd to get us going," Scalia said. "We had the home advantage. We have a big fan base. When it gets loud, helps build our energy."
It can also sap the energy from opposing teams.
"The atmosphere was something that was hard to compete against," Fairfield guard Janelle Brown said. "We couldn't hear the plays and couldn't hear what Coach was saying."
Added Thibault-DuDonis: "This is a tough environment to play in."
It wasn't all negative, added Stags guard Emina Selimovic.
"The crowd was more than we were used to, but it makes basketball more fun."
IU (25-5) unleashed all its weapons in advancing to Monday's second-round matchup against Oklahoma (23-9), which beat Florida Gulf Coast in the second game.
It had 25 assists on 31 made baskets. It had a 44-29 rebounding edge and a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint. It held the Stags (31-2) to 32 percent shooting while blocking a season-high10 shots.
"That's a very good Fairfield team," Moren said. "They had an unbelievable season. They gave us everything we wanted in the first half with their ball movement and body movement."
Fairfield hadn't lost since Nov. 12 at Vanderbilt. Its 29-game winning streak came from speed (highlighted by Brown, the MAAC player-of-the-year), depth and three-point shooting.
The Hoosiers negated it with three-point shooters of their own in Scalia, Yarden Garzon, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish. They combined to make 10 of 24 attempts.
Garzon, Moore-McNeill and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 13 points.
"We made some adjustments in the second half," Moren said. "The offense finally got going. We had balanced scoring. To have 25 assists on 31 baskets is really good."
Fairfield countered IU's size advantage with full-throttle pace. Still, a Garzon three-pointer and a Scalia jumper gave the Hoosiers a 15-10 early lead. Holmes' three-point play left IU ahead 20-17 after the first quarter.
A four-point second-quarter Hoosier lead became a five-point deficit. A Lexus Bargesser basket off a Holmes assist, a Garzon three-pointer, a pair of Moore-McNeil free throws and a Holmes basket pushed the Hoosiers ahead 36-31. They reached halftime leading 38-34 and determined to end any chance of an upset.
"We know how important the third quarter is for us," Garzon said. "We understood what it would require to win. We locked our defense in and started to play like us."
A three-point barrage from both teams was followed by a 13-0 run to boost IU to a 64-49 lead at the end of the third quarter. The lead swelled to 20 points a minute into the final quarter.
Shortly after that, out came the Hoosier starters. In came the reserves. IU would advance.
"Indiana is an incredible team," Thibault-DuDonis said. I hope they win the whole thing."
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