INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana women’s basketball seemed as if it was headed toward another late-game collapse.
In their regular season matchup with Oregon on Jan. 24 in Eugene, Oregon, the Hoosiers led for nearly 34 minutes. But when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, the Ducks stole the lead and took control of the game.
When Thursday’s matchup had just a quarter remaining, Indiana led by 8 points compared to the 2 it led by nearly a month and a half ago. The Hoosiers’ fourth-quarter performance still lingered in their mind. This time, the Cream and Crimson didn’t lose control in the fourth and instead seized it as they secured a 78-62 victory over Oregon in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“I feel like we all remembered what happened last game,” junior guard Yarden Garzon said postgame. “In the last quarter, we didn't do a good job, and we kind of lost our head, and we wanted to fix that today and come out different. I feel like we all felt the urge to win this game.”
The Ducks pulled within 5 points with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter until Garzon drilled a 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers slightly more breathing room. She then hit a jumper in the paint to begin the fourth quarter as Indiana led by 10 points.
Both squads then began trading buckets before the Hoosiers went on a 13-0 run over nearly three minutes to take a 21-point lead late in the final quarter. The fourth-quarter turnover issues that plagued Indiana in Eugene were almost non-existent Thursday — the Hoosiers had just one fourth-quarter turnover, which allowed it to convert offensive possessions into buckets.
“It was a big emphasis in the fourth quarter in Eugene, we turned it over, I think it was 10 times in the fourth, and we only turned it over one time in the fourth today,” graduate student guard Sydney Parrish said. “Just watching back this week, the film when we played at Oregon, it was just so sad seeing how bad we played. So we knew that we were going to come out and play much better. I knew we would get them the second time.”
Not only did the Hoosiers defeat the Ducks for the first time ever, but so did Parrish.
After playing two seasons at Oregon, Parrish transferred to Indiana ahead of her junior season. It took until this season for the Hoosiers and Ducks to face off, but when the former fell to the latter in the regular season, Thursday’s meeting gave Parrish an opportunity to avenge the loss — this time just half an hour from her hometown.
Parrish said it felt “fun” to play against her former team again, which is something she said numerous transfers feel when they face off with their old squad. The Fishers, Indiana, native scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists in the victory.
With the win, the Hoosiers advance to the quarterfinals, which is slated for noon Friday. Although the victory over Oregon was crucial in terms of likely cementing its status in the NCAA Tournament, Indiana has a tough matchup less than 24 hours after beating the Ducks: No. 2 USC.
After earning the Big Ten regular season title in their first season in the 18-team conference, the Trojans are slated to compete in their first Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
In Indiana’s previous matchup with USC on Jan. 19, it led the Trojans by 4 points early in the fourth quarter. However, the Hoosiers collapsed in that contest just as they did five days later to the Ducks.
For the Cream and Crimson to emerge victorious over the Trojans and advance to the semifinals Saturday, Moren — who said she’s only watched about 15 of the 40 minutes of the regular season matchup — laid out what her squad must do.
“I do feel like a couple things: We put them at the free-throw line too much, so we can't foul,” Moren said. “And then we've got to be able to hit shots. The quarter and the half that I did see, we got some good shots, just didn't go down.”
Limiting the Big Ten Player of the Year in USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins will also be a significant task for Indiana.
On Jan. 19, the Hoosiers held Watkins to just 8 first-half points. However, Watkins notched 7 in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and 7 in the fourth en route to victory. As a team, the Trojans outshot the Hoosiers from the field, 3-point range and from the free throw line.
It’s no easy task to beat one of the national championship favorites, but it’s what Indiana faces Friday.
“Again, it's another shot at — are they No. 1 right now still? No. 2? — at one of the best teams in the country that has one of the best players in the country,” Moren said.
Not only do the Trojans have Watkins, but they also have graduate student forward Kiki Iriafen. The 6-foot-3 Iriafen, who Moren dubbed “a load,” scored 14 points in the regular-season matchup and previously dominated the Hoosiers last season with Stanford University.
“This is a really good USC team. We have a tremendous amount of respect for them. We know this: it's going to take our very best.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
