Indiana women’s basketball returned to the hardwood Thursday to face off with No. 19 Maryland. Fans, teammates and Indiana head coach Teri Moren celebrated graduate student guards Chloe Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish and senior forward Karoline Striplin with senior night festivities before and after the game.
Despite leading early in the game, the Hoosiers fell behind the Terrapins in the second quarter. And although the Cream and Crimson pulled to within 2 points in the second half, they ultimately fell 74-60 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers dropped to 17-11 overall and 9-8 in Big Ten play.
Indiana began its final home contest of the season with 6 consecutive points before Maryland responded with its own 7-0 spurt midway through the first quarter. The two squads then went back and forth to end the period as they were tied at 14.
After the Hoosiers outscored the Terrapins by 2 points in the opening stages of the second quarter, the visitors responded with their own 14-0 run.
Trailing by 12 points with just over two minutes until halftime, Indiana looked to end the half on a positive note. However, junior guard Yarden Garzon was the only Hoosier who managed to score after the Terrapins’ run as she notched a layup. The Cream and Crimson trailed by 10 at the break.
As Indiana sought a second-half comeback, both teams traded buckets to begin the second half. The Hoosiers then went on a 13-3 run in the middle of the third quarter to pull within 2 points, however, the Terrapins again responded.
Maryland finished the third quarter on a 7-2 spurt to regain the lead at 46-39 heading into the 10 minutes.
While the Hoosiers continued to try to inch closer to the Terrapins, the latter continuously had a response to the former’s buckets thanks mostly to senior guard Shyanne Sellers. She notched three 3-pointers and a midrange jumper over the first five minutes of the final quarter as the Hoosiers trailed by 8 points.
Maryland only extended its lead over the final five minutes of the contest as it defeated the Hoosiers by 14 points.
Sellers led all scorers with 25 points while Garzon paced the Hoosiers with 18 points. The Hoosiers shot just 41.8% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc in the loss.
Indiana now has three days until its regular season finale, which is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday against Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. The matchup will stream on Peacock.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
