With 1:31 remaining in the third quarter, junior forward Karlee McBride was called for a hard foul on a fast break after an IU turnover.
The home Irish crowd was appalled. McBride was booed for the remainder of the game, despite her sister, Kayla, starring in South Bend.
The reason for the boisterous response to McBride’s foul was not necessarily the severity of the play, but the tightness of the game at the time. Although the Hoosiers eventually lost 87-70, they trailed by only six at the time.
The 32-1 Irish feature six McDonald’s All-Americans, compared to the absence of any on the Hoosier side. The expectations for IU were quite low with Notre Dame having lost just three home games in the previous five seasons.
The Hoosiers made it a game, though. Seventeen points from junior guards Karlee McBride and Alexis Gassion, as well as 10 points and 10 rebounds from freshman forward Kym Royster, was enough to give the Irish a run for their money.
“I’m really proud of our team,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “It was disappointing, and we never give in to moral victories, but I thought as far as our toughness tonight, we were the toughest team on the floor.”
McBride’s foul was in a critical juncture of the game. IU had sparked a 12-1 run to close the gap to just 56-54 midway through the third frame before Notre Dame scored two quick baskets.
“It’s just part of the atmosphere,” McBride said of the crowd’s response. “It’s the NCAAs. Everyone is fighting for a national championship, so I just took it as being a part of the game and apart of the atmosphere.”
The 5-foot-10 guard was critical in the first half for the Hoosiers. McBride sank four first-half 3-pointers to give the Hoosiers some early momentum. The Irish ended the half on a 14-7 run, though, to lead the Hoosiers 47-37 at halftime.
Notre Dame was paced by the play of junior guard Lindsay Allen. Not known for her scoring (8.6 points per game), Allen finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds. The 5-foot-8 guard scored 16 of her points in the first two quarters.
“Allen’s not comfortable shooting the three,” Moren said. “But anything inside that she’s pretty comfortable and able to knock them down, even though she didn’t score the other night. Again, it’s a great player making great plays. She caught fire there and really burned us on a couple occasions. I thought she played a great first half.”
Part of Notre Dame’s success was the defense of sophomore guard Tyra Buss. IU’s leading scorer was held to just 10 points on the night, shooting 3-of-16 from the floor. The point total tied a low for the season.
Despite the season-ending loss to one of the country’s top teams, Gassion was able to look back on what was a record-breaking season for IU. The University won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1983, appearing in the big dance for the first time since 2002.
“Right now it’s kind of bittersweet,” Gassion said. “I’m happy that we got into the tournament, and this was a heck of an opportunity for us. I’m disappointed at the same time because we came up a little short tonight.”
IU will graduate only one player in forward Lyndsay Leikem, who will graduate early to pursue a career in the FBI. Moren, the Big Ten Coach of the Year, will return All Big-Ten players in Buss and sophomore forward Amanda Cahill next season.
“There’s no question that we got a taste of what the NCAA Tournament is all about,” Moren said. “And we want more, we want to advance. This was a great starting point for our program. I’m disappointed and I hurt for our players, but I’m really proud of our kids.”
