No. 25 Indiana women’s basketball returned to action Thursday night. The Hoosiers fell 72-68 to Harvard University inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Indiana head coach Teri Moren voiced her displeasure with her team Monday, and the Hoosiers struggled in the opening minutes Thursday as Harvard went on a 10-0 run.
Indiana racked up 11 turnovers and found itself trailing Harvard 21-7 after the first quarter.
Moren appeared visibly frustrated numerous times throughout the quarter, looking toward the ground when her squad continued to play disjointedly. Whether it was turnovers, defensive breakdowns or failing to handle Harvard’s press, Indiana played arguably one of its poorest quarters in recent history.
In the second quarter, the Hoosiers were on the cusp of making a run to pull closer to the Crimson, but Harvard continued to answer. That was until the final three minutes of the frame.
The Hoosiers went on a 13-0 run over the final 2:56 of the first half, thanks in large part to junior guard Yarden Garzon. She drilled Indiana’s first 3-pointer of the game as the Hoosiers went into halftime trailing 32-30.
Coming out of the locker room, Indiana briefly took its first lead of the game with junior forward Lilly Meister’s pair of buckets in the paint. But Harvard responded with an 11-0 run to regain its advantage.
Indiana then took its turn to go on a run, snatching the lead again after its 12-2 burst. The Hoosiers trailed, however, by 2 points entering the final period.
After the two squads went back and forth to begin the fourth quarter, Harvard went on a quick 5-0 run. And again, Indiana responded with its own run –– this time a 7-0 one to take a 3-point lead.
Meister went 3 for 4 on free throws in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and it seemed the Hoosiers were on their way to victory until Harvard first-year guard Alayna Rocco drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 63 with 19 seconds left. Former Hoosier turned Crimson senior forward Mona Zarić blocked graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil's shot to force overtime.
Harvard led by 4 after a pair of early baskets in overtime. The Hoosiers again pulled back to within 1 before intentionally fouling the Crimson. But Indiana couldn’t muster up any offense when it counted most, falling to Harvard.
Harvard senior guard Harmoni Turner led all scorers with 24 points. Garzon and Meister each finished with 20 points as the Hoosiers racked up 27 turnovers.
Indiana (1-1) next travels to take on Butler University on Nov. 13 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tipoff for the intrastate contest is slated for 7 p.m. on FloSports.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
