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The No. 5 seed Indiana Hoosiers fell 74-67 to No. 2 seeded Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“Certainly we're disappointed that we didn't get the outcome that we had hoped for,” Head Coach Teri Moren stated. “Didn't shoot the ball particularly well today. We knew we were going to some man-to-man, we would see zone. But whether it was a little bit fatigued tired legs, I'm not sure. I think we got some really good looks. They just didn't go down for us, and sometimes that just happens in the game. But I can tell you this, my staff, we're all very, very proud of what we've been able to do here the last four days in Indianapolis.”
The Hoosiers set new tournament records for the most scored points, 256, field goals, 94, three-point field goals, 17, free-throws 60, and had 145 rebounds. The Hoosiers had 36 rebounds compared to Iowa’s 34 rebounds. 14 of those rebounds, were offensive while the Hawkeyes only had six.
Coming into the tournament, Indiana had lost three of the last four games of the regular season, including two to Iowa. It was IU's first Championship Game appearance since 2002.
“We had every reason to come to Indy and fold and not be who we are and who we know we are,” Head Coach Teri Moren explained. “But we looked at it as a new season. I'm really proud of how they put things behind them in the rear-view mirror and how well they played. You want to peak right now in March. I felt we were starting to do that today. We didn't. Came up a little short. But nonetheless, really proud. As I reminded our kids, we are still one of the best women's basketball teams in the country. And that's what I'm most proud of.”
Grace Berger led the Hoosiers with 20 points, shooting 10-for-21 from the field. She added seven rebounds and four assists.
“We were confident that we would get good looks and we would get the looks that we wanted if we ran our motion because we’ve gotten pretty good looks on motion the past four days,” Berger stated. “We were confident in our offense coming into the game.”
Nicole Cardano-Hillary had 19 points, shooting 7-for-20 from the field, 2-for-8 from the three-point line. Berger and Cardaño-Hillary both earned spots on the Big Ten All-Tournament team.
“I don’t think I’d ever go out there and not try my best,” Cardano-Hillary explained. “I think that the fact that this is so important for our team, kinda gets the motion going, and like I said my teammates are always so incredibly supportive in every aspect on and off the court. So, it’s hard not to be good, especially coming into a big tournament like this.”
Aleksa Gulbe and Mackenzie Holmes both scored 11 points while Ali Patberg scored six points for the Hoosiers.
“I think that’s what makes us a great team,” Cardano-Hillary explained. “We don’t let adversity bring us down and we’re just going to continue. We have a lot of basketball left and that’s what we're going to do whether there's adversity or not.”
Indiana as a team shot 26-for-69 from the field, 4-for-19 from the three-point line, and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line.
“I think again, it just shows how good of a team we are,” Berger explained. “Led by great coach obviously and we have a lot of great veteran leadership playing on our team. So, no matter what startled us, I think we showed up and we can be coached through that.”
The Hoosiers are expecting to be a top-4 seed and play host in one of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament regions. The NCAA Tournament selection show will be broadcasted on Sunday, March 13.
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