No. 4 seeded Indiana women’s basketball took to the court inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 against the No. 5 seeded University of Oklahoma. After falling to the University of Miami in the Round of 32 a season ago, the Hoosiers looked to redeem themselves and advance to the Sweet 16.
The opening quarter looked like the Hoosiers’ first-round matchup against Fairfield University: a fast-paced contest.
The squads were knotted up at 10 at the first media timeout of the first quarter, eventually ending the frame tied at 19.
After graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes and senior guard Sydney Parrish each scored 8 points in the first quarter, the duo combined to score just 5 in the second.
While Holmes and Parrish struggled, so did fifth-year senior guard Sara Scalia. Coming off a 27-point outing two days ago, Scalia scored just 3 points in the first half as the Hoosiers trailed 30-29 at the break.
Coming out of the halftime locker room, the Hoosiers regained the lead via Holmes’ old-fashioned 3-point play.
The Sooners responded however, regaining the lead and eventually jumping out to a 7-point advantage just over midway through the third frame.
While it took over two minutes, Indiana rattled off 5 points to pull to within 2 before the squads traded baskets as the Sooners led by 2 at the end of the third.
Just like many March Madness games, the fourth quarter was full of lead changes as the squads traded blows throughout the frame.
After the Hoosiers led by 1 with just over 3 minutes remaining, the Sooners went on a quick 5-0 run to take a 4-point lead.
The Hoosier faithful in attendance became tense, likely getting flashbacks of last season’s loss to Miami — one in which the Hoosiers’ comeback fell just short.
However, Indiana did what they couldn’t a season ago — come back and finish the deal.
The Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run over 2:01, taking a 6-point advantage, capped off by Scalia’s pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining.
The Hoosiers held on in the end, securing a 75-68 victory to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
Indiana will take on No. 1 University of South Carolina at 5 p.m., Friday, inside the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa), columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) and photographer Olivia Bianco (@theoliviabianco) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
