While Indiana came into this one on a three-game win streak, the Hoosiers couldn't make it four inside of Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
IU fell to the Golden Gophers of Minnesota 66-56, as poor shooting throughout the contest prevented Indiana from finding a rhythm outside of the final minutes of the first quarter.
The Gophers found their rhythm in the second half, as it took a two-point halftime lead and turned it into a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter, finishing the game with a 10-point victory.
Karoline Striplin and Shay Ciezki both scored 12 to lead the Hoosiers, while Chloe Moore-McNeil added 11 as the third IU double-digit scorer.
Amaya Battle and Sophia Hart were both key for Minnesota, Battle scoring 16 and Hart 14 to lead the Gophers to victory.
While Indiana did go on an 11-2 run to cut the Minnesota lead to six, it was too little too late, as the Gopher's third quarter proved to be the difference.
This defeat drops Indiana to 7-5 in conference play, 14-8 overall, giving the Hoosiers just their third road loss of the season.
With all that being said, here's how it happened on super Sunday in Minnesota:
INCONSISTENT SHOOTING IN 1ST HALF GIVES MINNESOTA HT LEAD
While, at times, Indiana's offense found a rhythm in the first half, it was an overall very inconsistent first 20 minutes for the Hoosiers.
Indiana scored 11 points in a span of just over three minutes towards the end of the first quarter, resulting in an 11-2 run that gave Indiana an early lead. Despite this, scoring droughts would be on the horizon in the second quarter.
IU shot 7-for-16 from the floor in the first quarter, not a great number by any means, but it was a massive improvement after a 2-for-10 start to the ballgame.
Striplin was the main reason this got turned around, as she scored seven points in the first 10 minutes, allowing her team to secure a 17-13 lead after the opening quarter.
This advantage wouldn't last long though, as after Indiana got its lead up to 22-17, it failed to score for four minutes and seven seconds. This scoring drought turned the five-point IU lead into a three-point Gopher advantage, lasting from the 7:41 remaining mark up until there was 3:34 left in the quarter.
IU found some offense after the drought was over, scoring five straight points to give it a two-point lead, but another scoring drought ensued after that.
The Hoosiers didn't score in the final 2:56 of the half, allowing Minnesota to secure a lead before the break, but Indiana's defense made sure these droughts wouldn't result in a large lead for Minnesota.
The IU defense forced six Gopher turnovers in the first half, holding UM to 12-of-28 shooting in the opening half, though Indiana's shot a worse 11-fo-30.
This was, of course, because of these egregious scoring droughts, resulting in a Minnesota lead that Indiana would have a tough time turning around in the second half.
IU MAKES A RUN LATE, BUT 3RD QTR SURGE WINS IT FOR MINNESOTA
Indiana's defense may have been the aspect of the game that was keeping it in the game after its inconsistent offensive start, but in the second half the Hoosiers faltered on the defensive end.
Minnesota shot 8-of-12 in the third quarter and scored 21 points overall, the most seen in any quarter of the ballgame, resulting in the Gophers extending their lead.
An 11-2 run during the opening five minutes of the quarter was also a prime cause of the larger Minnesota advantage, the Hoosiers failing to go on a run of their own due to continued inconsistency.
Indiana just wasn't guarding as well, while Minnesota really stepped up when given the opportunity. The Gophers made have only made one shot from deep in the third, but it made up for it with its 2-point percentage and FT percentage, both soaring above Indiana's number.
IU went just 5-of-13 from the field, but went 2-of-3 from deep, giving it a 3-of-10 mark from inside the arc. This allowed Minnesota to simply dominate the action in the third, as the Gophers diced up Indiana on offense, while the Hoosiers continue to struggle shooting the ball.
With a 50-41 lead entering the final quarter, the Gophers cruised to the victory, as Indiana continued to have a tough time guarding and scoring the basketball.
IU did go on a solid run in the final minutes of the game, as the Hoosiers went on an 11-2 run to cut the Minnesota lead to six, but it was far too late to win the game.
IU shot 5-for-13 in the final 10 minutes, going 1-for-7 from three in a quarter that could've really used some more long range shots to get it back into the game.
Minnesota wasn't nearly as impressive in the fourth as it was in he third, going 3-for-12 from the floor, yet it didn't matter because the Gophers went an incredibly impressive 10-of-12 from the FT line to seal the game.
All this cumulated in that ended up being an up-and-down, low scoring contest that saw Minnesota snap Indiana's three-game sin streak.
The Hoosiers return to action Wednesday at Michigan.
FINAL STATS
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