Indiana Women’s Basketball Battles South Carolina Early but Falls Short in NCAA Tournament Second Round

In a live update from the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, Indiana’s valiant effort fell short against the No. 1 seed South Carolina, as the Gamecocks rallied in the second half to secure a 64-53 victory and advance to the Sweet 16.

For the second consecutive year, Indiana gave South Carolina a tough challenge. Last season, the Hoosiers pushed the Gamecocks to the limit in a 79-75 loss in the Sweet 16, which was South Carolina’s closest game on their way to a national title. This time, in the second round on Sunday, the Hoosiers led for much of the first half, heading into the locker room with a 26-25 lead. Indiana’s defense was suffocating, holding South Carolina to just nine points in the opening quarter, marking the first time the Gamecocks had scored fewer than 10 points in a quarter since February 16.

Chloe Moore-McNeil gave Indiana a huge offensive boost in the first half, scoring 10 points, grabbing two rebounds, and adding an assist. However, the graduate student couldn’t carry that momentum into the second half, as she failed to score any points after halftime, marking the end of her five-year career with Indiana women’s basketball.

At one point in the first half, the Hoosiers led by as much as eight points. South Carolina responded with an 8-0 run in the second quarter to briefly take the lead, but Indiana regained control by halftime. However, after the break, South Carolina came out looking like the top seed they are, knocking down more outside shots and upping their physicality, which Indiana struggled to match. The Gamecocks dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Hoosiers 26-14, including a 12-3 run in the middle of the period that broke the game open.

Indiana didn’t get enough from their leading scorer, Yarden Garzon, who shot just 4-for-13 from the field and finished with 10 points. She also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and added four assists, but the Hoosiers were 3-7 this season when Garzon scored 10 points or fewer, and they weren’t able to pull off the upset without her usual scoring production.

Another key player, Sydney Parrish from Fishers, Ind., saw her collegiate career end on Sunday as well. She contributed six points, four rebounds, four assists, and three turnovers in her final game for Indiana.

Shay Ciezki, a junior, led Indiana with 12 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field, while senior Karoline Striplin added 11 points in what was also her final game for the Hoosiers, joining Parrish and Moore-McNeil in ending their college careers.

With this loss, Indiana’s season comes to a close, but the program has plenty to build on moving forward. Stay tuned for further updates and in-depth coverage of Indiana women’s basketball.