COLUMBIA, S.C. – Last year in Albany, New York, Dawn Staley and South Carolina ended Indiana’s season in the Sweet Sixteen.
A year later, the Gamecocks again ended IU’s season in the second round of the NCAA tournament, 64-53, at Colonial Life Arena.
Indiana was a heavy underdog entering the game – South Carolina was favored by 22.5 points – but it had momentum in the first half. The Hoosiers led 26-25 at halftime. It was a promising first start for Indiana, fueled by its defense.
South Carolina scored seven points in the game’s first five minutes but managed just two points in the final 4:59 of the opening quarter. The nine points for the Gamecocks in the opening ten minutes tied their fewest points scored in a quarter this season. The Gamecocks shot just 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) in the first quarter.
South Carolina’s offense started to get on track in the second quarter, but the defense kept the Hoosiers afloat. The Gamecocks narrowly outscored IU in the second quarter – 16 to 14 – as IU went to the break with a one-point cushion.
Indiana’s guard play was huge in the first half, led by senior Chloe Moore-McNeil and Shay Ciezki. Moore-McNeil finished the half with a team-high 10 points and Ciezki added seven.
But it didn’t take long for the defending national champions to take control in the second half in front of a crowd of more than 12,000 fans.
Energized and hungry for a statement, South Carolina came out blistering in the third quarter, scoring 26 points to regain control. Indiana fell behind as the Gamecocks offense started to pile on alongside the costly turnovers of Indiana. The Hoosiers committed five turnovers in the third quarter.
“Obviously, they’re the No. 1 team in the country in terms of transition offense and capitalizing on people’s turnovers,” Moore-McNeil said. “I think, yeah, they did have pressure on us at times, but at the same time, I think we did have some careless mistakes.”
IU’s Achilles heel was taking care of the ball, as the Hoosiers had 16 turnovers. South Carolina scored 18 points off of those mistakes.
After being held scoreless in the first half, South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts heated up in the third quarter, scoring seven of her 10 points in the frame. The Gamecocks shot 11-for-16 in the third quarter.
“It was the third quarter that kind of did us in,” Teri Moren said. “14 points, I think they scored in the paint in the third. We had five turnovers. Just costly coming out of halftime. Other than that, the first, second, fourth quarter, we were right there. So, if we could have any do-overs, it would have been that third quarter. Maybe we would have got the outcome we wanted.”
The barrage of points at the start of the second half was too much for Indiana to overcome, and ultimately, it was the reason their season ended. South Carolina now owns a 5-2 record over the Hoosiers, with Staley earning her second victory over Indiana in her tenure.
The game marked the final time for Sydney Parrish and Moore-McNeil to play in an IU uniform.
Parrish ended her five-year career having played the final three seasons with the Hoosiers and accumulating 1,389 career points. She had six points, four rebounds and four assists in her final game as a Hoosier. And Moore-McNeil cemented herself as one of the best defenders in program history and finished fifth in IU program history in assists. The fifth-year senior had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds on Sunday.
“I know the portal opens tomorrow and a lot of these kids are going to be hopping around doing different things, but Syd and Chloe have won a lot of games at Indiana,” Moren said. “They’ve won a Big Ten championship and put us in positions during March that have been really special. There’s no doubt that the two of these guys have left a legacy at Indiana. That’s really all you want out of your career. I’m very proud of them.”
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Category: Women’s Basketball
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