Assembly Hall was set aglow from light sticks that were being given out before the 1pm New Year’s Day game on Sunday afternoon. The crowd was on their feet as Emcee Jeremy Gray announced the starting line-up for the first home game of the calendar year. Over 7150 were in attendance to cheer on the #4 Indiana Hoosiers (13-1 / 3-1), as they took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-5 / 2-2).
From the onset, Nebraska came out strong on both sides of the court, shooting over 62% in the first 10 minutes of play, and pulling down 5 rebounds. They wove the ball inside and out, making incredible usage of their perimeter shooting. They would hit five from beyond the arc in the first quarter, alone.
On defense, the Cornhuskers seemingly reproduced the successful play of Michigan State, who handed the Hoosiers their first loss of the season, just a few days prior. The blueprint was full-court pressure, perimeter man-to-man, and a double team of Mackenzie Holmes each time she touched the ball in the paint.
Breaking the press was not a problem for IU, but it slowed down the pace of the game, away from the rapid transition for which the Hoosiers are known. Nebraska led 22-19 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The game would remain close throughout the entire first half. With just under 5 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter, All-American Senior Forward Mackenzie Holmes had a monster block on a Nebraska lay-up attempt, and the ensuing fast break brought about a short-range bank-shot off the glass by Senior Guard Sara Scalia, to give Indiana their first lead of the game.
The scoreboard would show Indiana up by a point, 31-30, but the stat book told a different story, with Indiana trailing in many important categories, such as scoring percentage, rebounds, and 3-point shooting. Indiana had success in getting to the free-throw line, however. They would sink 10-11 after 20 minutes of play, putting several Cornhuskers in early foul risk. This would be an important part of the Hoosier’s offense for the day.
In the second half, Nebraska maintained their high-level play, getting a significant offensive touches each possession. The game was back and forth throughout the 3rd quarter, with Indiana picking up momentum at the 5-minute mark, following a second big block by Holmes, and a series of defensive stops.
It was with less than 4 and a half minutes left in the game when Indiana finally hit their second 3-point shot of the game. It came from Junior Guard Sydney Parrish, getting a great feed from Freshman Guard Yarden Garzon, to finally break an Indiana spell of going zero for their previous 9 attempts from beyond the arc.
“As a shooter, you go through slumps. I think I missed 4 or 5 [3-point attempts], in a row,” said Parrish. But, Coach Moren had continued faith, telling Parrish to just keep taking the open shots. That faith would pay off, as Parrish never lost confidence, ending the game hitting 3-9 from long distance.
This play added necessary momentum for the Hoosiers, being followed by a pair of free-throws from Chloe Moore-McNeil, a defensive stop, and another Moore-McNeil free-throw. Indiana found themselves up 2 points with just 3 minutes remaining in the game.
A Nebraska 3-pointer and 2 turnovers later, IU would find themselves down by 2 with under 2 minutes left to play, and Nebraska ball.
A steal with under a minute left gave IU the ball with the score tied, but the Hoosiers could not convert, and Nebraska called time out with 31 seconds to go, and a 62 all score. An IU stop, rebound, and timeout, gave Indiana the ball at halfcourt for the inbound with 1.2 seconds left, but the near half-court shot by Parrish went off the rim . . . and then there was overtime.
And the overtime quarter can be summed up with one word . . . DEFENSE!
Every inch of the defensive court was stifled by the Hoosiers who would not give up this game on their home court. Triple teaming, steals, blocks, and plain ole IU aggressive D was the story for the extra 5 minutes. Indiana went on a 9-0 run and then played ‘keep away’ on the offensive side of the court. 74-62 would be the final, with Indiana moving to 13-1 (3-1) on the season.
“Night in and night out, if you’re not ready to play, you’re at risk of falling short,” said Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren regarding the competition in the Big Ten. “We have to get better after each game,” Moren later added.
While every Hoosier brought energy to the overtime, it was Yarden Garzon that exploded with intensity, forcing 4 turnovers and scoring 5 of Indiana’s dozen overtime points. Garzon continues to step to the plate, demonstrating her incredibly mature play and all court vision.
It took 5 quarters for Indiana to pull this one out, but they did what they do best, finding a way to win. In the overtime, Senior Guard Sara Scalia and Garzon were instrumental in holding the Cornhuskers scoreless.
“Yarden [Garzon] and Sara [Scalia] at the end were really, really good for us defensively,” said Coach Moren. “You could just tell they were both locked in defensively . . . They knew that was how they were going to win the game.”
Holmes would lead all with 22 points, adding 10 rebounds and 5 blocks; Parrish scored 16 and had 7 rebounds; Moore-McNeil had 13 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals; Garzon contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Collectively, Indiana shot 39% from the field, 25% from 3-point land, and 80% from the stripe.
Nebraska had four players in double figures, shot 40% from the field, and 42% from beyond the arc. Senior Guard Jaz Shelly, who is averaging over 15 points per game, was held to just 5 in her 42 minutes played.
Next up, the Hoosiers travel to Evanston, Illinois on Sunday, January 8th, to take on Northwestern (6-6 / 0-2)