INDIANAPOLIS — As Indiana women’s basketball attempted to make a late run in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, graduate student guard Sydney Parrish was tagged with her fourth foul of the game just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Parrish sat on the bench for three and a half minutes as the No. 1 seeded USC grew its lead to 7 points. She returned to the floor for just 27 seconds before she picked up her fifth foul and was confined to the bench for the remainder of the contest.
And that wasn’t the only blow to the Hoosiers’ lineup.
Lilly Meister was helped off the court in the third quarter with a left leg injury. The junior forward was putting little weight on her leg while being helped to the locker room by Indiana’s training staff, but she jogged back onto the court before the period ended.
“Always have faith in her and try to instill confidence in her, no matter how she’s doing,” graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil said postgame. “It was good to see her have that resilience and comeback and still fight in the post.”
Resilience also described Indiana on Friday against USC. Even when the Hoosiers were faced with adversity, they continued to compete with one of the best teams in the country, but they ultimately fell to USC 79-84 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
While Indiana didn’t earn a spot in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers proved they can still compete against top opponents, even under difficult circumstances.
“We’ve seen USC rollover teams, kill teams, but we haven’t been that team yet,” Parrish said. “And I think that’s really good for us and gives us a little bit of motivation going into March.”
Friday marked the second time this season Indiana has held close with USC. The first came Jan. 19, when the then-No. 4 Trojans beat the Hoosiers by 7 points in Bloomington.
USC has beaten its opponents by 22.9 points per game en route to its 27-2 overall record this season. Indiana didn’t allow the Trojans — which are led by the Big Ten Coach of the Year Lindsay Gottlieb and the Big Ten Player of the Year in sophomore guard JuJu Watkins — to lead by more than 9 points.
While Watkins recorded a game-high 31 points and 10 rebounds, senior forward Kiki Iriafen tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds. Still, the Hoosiers found a way to counterbalance the Trojans’ attack with four scorers in double digits — junior guard Yarden Garzon with 23 points, Moore-McNeil with 17 points and junior guard Shay Ciezki and senior forward Karoline Striplin with 15 points and 10 points, respectively.
“We didn’t let them get away from us and we showed that fight continuously,” Parrish said. “We showed it yesterday against Oregon and we showed it today against USC. If we can just put together a full 40 minutes, we’re good.”
On Thursday against Oregon in the Hoosiers first game of the Big Ten Tournament, they defeated an opponent which gave them trouble Jan. 27 when Indiana traveled to Eugene, Oregon, for the teams’ first meeting.
That resilience is a quality the Hoosiers have shown lately as their season nears its end, which has given them confidence headed into the NCAA Tournament.
While Indiana’s fate will be learned 8 p.m. March 16 on Selection Sunday, head coach Teri Moren said she is confident in her teams’ tournament resume, a sentiment shared by her squad.
Along with their tournament hopes, the Hoosiers have confidence in their ability to play against any team, and are embracing the position that they are in, especially after their two close matchups with the Trojans.
“I feel like we want everybody to know we are tough,” Garzon said. “Every game, no matter who we're going to play, we want to win the game. No matter what's your name, what you have on your chest, we're going to want to win this game.”
But playing tough against the nation’s top teams and not pulling out a win won’t cut it in the NCAA Tournament. If the Hoosiers lose, they’re done, even if it’s by a narrow margin. So, now, it will be crucial for Indiana to turn a small deficit into a win if it wants to make a run in the tournament.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
