An hour before game time, Indiana announced that they would, once again be without All-American Forward Mackenzie Holmes for the second game in a row, due to what is being simply called, \u201ca knee injury.\u201d While this was not much of a surprise to Hoosier fans, the announcement that Graduate Guard Nicole Cadano-Hillary would also be missing from eligibility due to \u201cHealth and Safety Protocol,\u201d was a last-minute shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Two missing starters from the line-up would further deplete a bench which has been sparingly used so far this season. The Sophomore Power Forward Kiandra Browne would see her second career start, and Sophomore Guard Chloe Moore-McNeil would get her first call as a starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indiana struggled throughout the first half and were challenged by a hungry Purdue squad on both sides of the ball. On defense, the Boilermakers played very tight, and set perimeter double team traps flawlessly, causing both chaos and Hoosier turnovers; Indiana went into the locker room at halftime trailing 32-27. The lone first half, consistent offensive light for IU came from Senior Forward Aleksa Gulbe, who was hot from inside and outside of the paint during the first 20 minutes of play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indiana was outplayed for a significant part of the game, but like we have seen before, they had the will to keep it close and stay in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGive our kids credit for their focus, they were relentless,\u201d IU Head Coach Teri Moren said after the road win. \u201cAs I always say to them, as long as there\u2019s time on the clock for us, we\u2019re always going to be in the game. I have a group of people in that locker room who will just not quit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And relentless they were . . . with less than 3 minutes remaining in regular play, the Hoosiers found themselves down by 8 points, but remained intense on defense and patient on offense, protecting their possession and awaiting the right shots. Grace Berger would rise to the occasion, hitting clutch shots throughout the 4th<\/sup> quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even down by 4 with 32 seconds remaining, the Indiana Coaching Staff used their timeouts wisely, and the execution was impressive. With 18 seconds left, Graduate Guard Ali Patberg brought the game to within 1, nailing a 3-point shot with perfect form, switching the momentum to Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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