Indiana University Athletics
‘Game On’ – Hoosiers Seek To Rise From Defeat
2/28/2025 11:10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Dry eyes had no place here. Not now. Not with an Indiana Senior Night opportunity lost, a final Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall opportunity played, a huge NCAA tourney boost missed.
Veterans Chloe Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish and Karoline Striplin were honored before Thursday night's 74-60 loss to No. 19/17 Maryland, and then after. Videos were displayed and words were spoken to sum up their Hoosier careers -- Moore-McNeil for five years, Parrish for three, Striplin for one.
They combined for 27 points (Parrish had 13), 13 assists (Moore-McNeil had 10) and 12 rebounds.
It wasn't enough and it hurt.
"On a special night," coach Teri Moren said, eyes red and moist in the post-game press conference, "I'm so grateful for our seniors. I'm so glad I coached Chloe her entire career. For Syd to come back to Indiana was special, and Strip has been such a blessing. I hate it that we couldn't win it for them."
Moore-McNeil tied Grace Berger for the program record with her 148th career game. Her career winning percentages of 79 percent overall and 88.6 percent at home are IU records.
It wasn't enough, and it hurt.
"It's bittersweet," Moore-McNeil said. "We wanted to end with a win. We didn't get that done. But in reflecting on my five years here, I'm so grateful to have done this journey with the teammates I've had.
"I'll miss the atmosphere and having fans who know basketball. They're our sixth man."
Parrish, a former Indiana Miss Basketball from Hamilton Southeastern High School who spent two seasons at Oregon before transferring to IU, focused on the impact playing for the Hoosiers has on fans, especially the young girls wearing her No. 33 jersey who meant so much to her.
"They don't care about how many shots you missed or how many turnovers you had," she said. "They care about meeting you as a person. That's something I will miss -- the ability to make someone's day and not the wins and losses or the Xs and Os."
Despite a disastrous second quarter that included a 14-0 Maryland run, the Hoosiers (17-11 overall, 9-8 in the Big Ten) had crunch-time hope. A third quarter rally cut a 12-point deficit to two and the crowd of 10,684 roared. A fourth-quarter surge brought them within five, and the crowd roared again. A dramatic comeback was within reach.
And then it wasn't, a familiar occurrence in this up-and-down season and a major source of frustration given IU's talent and experience. That includes junior guard Yarden Garzon, whose three three-pointers against Maryland give her 205 for her three-year career, one off the program record set by Kris McGrade 31 years ago.
"She was aggressive," Moren said.
The Hoosiers have beaten four ranked teams this season, highlight by a recent 71-61 victory over top-10 Ohio State (24-4), but haven't sustained that success as they have in recent seasons that included Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen NCAA tourney runs.
"It's focus and consistency," Moren said. "That's what's missing. We're not a focused team. When we're hyper focused like we were with Ohio State, we know what we're capable of."
Capabilities faced this reality -- over the last eight days, IU went 1-2 against ranked teams. It lost at No. 22/21 Michigan State (20-8) four days earlier.
"We've been very inconsistent," Moore-McNeil said, "but I have faith in us to click at the right time."
That time is now, Moren insisted.
"We've used that word, 'urgency'. We've told them to make sure they come with extra juice. They know. The window is closing quickly."
Closing doesn't mean closed, Parrish said.
"We'll figure it out. This group has never blinked."
Maryland (22-6, 12-4) was physical. That's part of elite play that IU has, at times, struggled to match, a change from previous seasons.
"We can't run away from that physicality," Moren said. "We have to embrace it. At one point, we were a physical team. We need to be as physical back. Stand your ground and not let teams push you around."
The game began with Hoosier promise. Moore-McNeil passed to Parrish for a layup to open the game. Striplin followed with her own layup, then added another off a Moore-McNeil assist. The Hoosiers led 6-0 before a Maryland surge produced a 14-14 tie after the first quarter. Five Hoosier turnovers didn't help.
Guard Shay Ciezki's seven points kept IU close in the second quarter before Maryland's 14-0 run gave it a 30-20 halftime lead.
Three-pointers from Ciezki and Garzon cut a 12-point deficit to 39-37 late in the third quarter before Maryland pushed to regain its 12-point lead. A Parrish three-pointer got the Hoosiers within nine. A second got them within eight, at 59-51. A pair of Ciezki free throws got them within five with three minutes left, but no closer.
The missed opportunity left Moren wondering, "Why we do the things we do sometimes. Not rebounding. Not taking care of the ball.
"As the leader of this program, I should have the answers about the things that continue to be issues and why we can't get over the hurdle when we face adversity.
"We won't stop fighting to figure out what it is. It's been disappointing, frustrating. We love them up. We coach them hard. They need confidence. It's a group that's been hard to figure out."
A final regular-season game remains, Sunday at rival Purdue (10-18, 3-14), a team IU beat by 22 points a couple of weeks earlier at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers aim to make the most of it, and then at next week's Big Ten tourney in Indianapolis, with a potential sixth straight NCAA tourney appearance after that.
A big March remains within reach.
"We had a rough game," Parrish said. "You saw glimpses of how we can play. Maryland is a great team, but we need to get those (ranked) wins. We didn't do it. We'll handle business at Purdue and then it's game on. Make a run at the right time. We're going to do that."
The players, Moren said, must lead the way.
"A player-led team is so much better than if the coaches have to do the leading. The seniors have to look at themselves. Ask themselves if they're doing enough inside that locker room to help their team. They need to. They've heard that message."
