Scalia Sets IU NCAA Tournament Record With 27 Points In Win Over 13-Seed Fairfield

Saturday, March 23

Bloomington, Ind.

1:30 P.M. ET

Indiana University

25-5,15-3Big Ten

13-seed Fairfield

31-2,20-0MAAC

Fairfield

Indiana

Scalia Sets IU NCAA Tournament Record With 27 Points In Win Over 13-Seed Fairfield

3/23/2024 3:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior guard Sara Scalia scored a team-high 27 points as 4-seeded Indiana put on a spectacular second half performance to beat 13-seeded Fairfield, 89-56, in the NCAA Tournament first round at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday.

KEY MOMENTS

Sophomore guard Yarden Garzon had seven first quarter points to pace the Hoosiers as the two teams went back-and-forth in the first 10 minutes of action. IU would extend its lead to five on a 3-pointer from Garzon and Scalia's driving bucket at the rim, but the Stags continued to provide answers.
Holmes' and-1 with 52 seconds left was the difference maker in the first as Indiana led 20-17. Fairfield, however, took its largest lead of the game in the second as it went up five at the media timeout. The break would spark an 11-0 Indiana run, featured by five-points from Garzon, over the next nearly four minutes to take a 38-34 halftime lead.
Indiana's offense exploded in the second half, outscoring Fairfield 51-22. It started thanks to a 12-point third quarter from Scalia who helped Indiana go on a 13-0 run with 4:23 remaining.
Seven different players would score for Indiana in the fourth, part of a 26-point quarter as all available players saw action in the victory. IU capped the day by going 10-for-15 from the field in the final frame while limiting Fairfield to just two made field goals.

NOTABLE

Indiana set a new program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game with 89. The previous high was 87 against Kentucky in 1983.
The Hoosiers improved to 10-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament action and have advanced past the first round in all six appearances under Teri Moren.
The 33-point victory is its second largest margin of win for the Hoosiers in an NCAA Tournament game, second to its 34-point win over Charlotte in the first round in 2022.
Scalia's 27 points are the most by any Indiana women's basketball player in an NCAA Tournament points, breaking a 41-year-old record of 25 points set by Denise Jackson in 1983. She also set the school's NCAA tournament record with her five made triples, besting the previous record set by Jaelynn Penn (2019) and Karlee McBride (2016).
Three other players scored in double figures, all with 13 points each from Garzon, Holmes and senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil. Holmes and Garzon added six boards each while Moore-McNeil had a team-high six assists.
IU improved to 16-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor with a 50.8 percent clip overall. It also finished one shy of a season-high in assists as it passed out 25 assists on 31 made field goals.
The Hoosiers also won on the boards, 44-29, led by seven from senior guard Sydney Parrish. They also finished the night 77.3 percent from the free throw line (17-for-22).
Holmes added a team-high three blocks in the win while Indiana set a new season-high with 10 swats.

QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren

UP NEXT
The Hoosiers will face the winner of 5-seed Oklahoma and 13-seed FGCU on Monday with a time to-be-determined following the conclusion of all Saturday games.

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