“Love the confidence these guys are playing with,” exclaimed IU Coach Teri Moren, soaked from a post-game celebration in the locker room.
This one started out as a tight game, with fast-paced basketball from both IU and Belmont; although, IU challenged the perimeter, leaving Belmont 0-8 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. And, make no mistake, this game would be all Indiana before too long. As a matter of fact, IU would hold the lead for over 34 of the 40 minutes, waltzing into the Sweet Sixteen by a final score of 70-48.
The game was powered by Defense led by Junior Forward Aleksa Gulbe, who unassumingly pulled down 15 rebounds, 4 of which were on the offensive boards. “[Gulbe] has been an anchor for us all year on defense,” said Coach Moren during the post-game press conference. “Aleksa never wants any of the credit,” added Junior Guard Grace Berger.
One of Gulbe’s monumental plays in the game included bringing down a fourth quarter offensive rebound and drawing contact while putting the ball right back up and in. She would convert the free throw to complete the ‘and-one’. IU had a sizable lead at this point, but the momentum created was invaluable to carry the Hoosiers straight through for the victory.
Sophomore Forward MacKenzie Holmes was hardly quiet, with 7 boards and 3 blocks on the defensive end and adding 13 points. Holmes, however, sat for 15 minutes of the second-round game due to getting into some early foul trouble. This led to the bench seeing significant minutes during the game, and they found success.
“Teams that have the opportunity to make deep runs get help from their bench,” Moren said. She followed sharing a conversation she had with the team just days before, in which she told the bench that they would need to step up their play. Moren reiterated that each-and-every player on the team is coached with the same high-level expectations. “I challenged our bench, and they took that to heart,” declared Moren as she smiled, knowing that her instincts have paid off, and she has just coached her team directly into the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
After the game Moren described the win as a Coach’s dream, “clearing the bench and making history!”
Indiana Basketball has attained history, as the Women’s team has made the Sweet Sixteen for the first time. Next up, The Lady Hoosiers will meet Mercado Region #1 seed NC State on Saturday, March 27th at 6pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU.