IU Aims to Build from NCAA Tourney Defeat
3/24/2025 5:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Sometimes you refuse to concede, refuse to buckle against pressure, refuse to give in to a hostile sell-out crowd and to elite opponent athleticism and length.
And yet, for Indiana, sometimes it's not enough.
In the end Sunday afternoon, ninth-seed IU couldn't get past top-seed South Carolina with its 18-0 Colonial Life Arena NCAA tourney record and dominant third quarter. The Hoosiers' season ended 64-53 in NCAA tourney second-round action.
"I'm proud of our group," coach Teri Moren said, "and disappointed in the outcome."
Defeat brought resolve. The Hoosiers (20-13), with six straight NCAA tourneys on their resume, including three Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight berth, will build for more.
"We want to continue to win at a high level and be part of March Madness," Moren said. "We have to find the right kids. Recruit the kids who fit us.
"We will always be a team that hangs its hat on defense. That's the way we built this -- we've been the gritty, tough, no nonsense team. We will continue to find those kids who want to be part of something that is hard every day. Winning is hard."
The Gamecocks (32-3), the defending national champions, earned their 11thstraight Sweet Sixteen appearance, but the Hoosiers made them work for it.
"Our players are exhausted," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said, "but it takes that to beat Indiana."
The loss ended the college careers for guards Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish, along with forward Karoline Striplin. Moore-McNeil finished with 1,153 points, 495 rebounds, 510 assists along with a school record 154 games. Parrish finished with 1,389 points, 645 rebounds, 216 assists and 165 steals at IU and Oregon. Striplin ended with 790 points and 380 rebounds.
"I won't remember the stats," an emotional Moore-McNeil said. "I'll remember the special moments with my team. We take pride in wearing Indiana across our chest."
Added Moren: "They put us in position to do things that are really special. They left a legacy at Indiana."
Both players said they hope to play professionally.
"If it doesn't go the way I want," Parrish said, "I hope to get a job in sports media field."
Guards Yarden Garzon and Shay Cieski will return to form a solid foundation for the future. Garzon led IU in scoring (14.6 points) and three-pointers (88). She has a school-record 220 three-pointers for her career. Ciezki averaged 11.8 points with 47 three-pointers.
Moren and her staff will hit the transfer portal hard. The portal opens on Monday.
"We'll have a lot of holes to fill," Moren said. "A lot of schools will have holes to fill. We've already been in the process of figuring out what those holes will be.
"We're very careful in the portal. Players have to fit Indiana and the way we do things. We make sure we're recruiting winners, that they've come from places where they've won. That they're competitors and love to work.
"When you come here, it's about the team. We will help you as a player to develop and thrive. When you leave Indiana, you will be a better player. There is a certain standard we will live up to."
Parrish vouched for that.
"If you want to play in March Madness, come to Indiana. Coach Moren has made that a huge deal.
"She puts her players first. She's a players' coach. She trusts us. I am so grateful. She takes chances on kids in the portal. She makes it special. She believes in you, like when you airball a three and look to the sidelines and she's clapping her hands even though she is probably not thinking that."
On Sunday, IU made an early statement by forcing five South Carolina turnovers, holding the Gamecocks scoreless for five straight minutes and using a 10-0 run to build leads as large as eight points. It reached halftime ahead 26-25.
South Carolina's 26-14 third quarter created 11-point separation the Hoosiers couldn't close.
"The third quarter did us in," Moren said. "They had 14 points in the paint. We had five turnovers. That was costly. Other than that, we were right there. If not for that, maybe we could have gotten the outcome we wanted."
Staley was well aware.
"Teri can really coach," Staley said. "She gets her players to play to their strengths.
"When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, sometimes it is luck and matchups. She has the talent, the assistant coaches and pool of people in the program.
"And then you have to get lucky."
Four Hoosiers scored in double figures led by guard Shay Ciezki's 12 points. Striplin had 11 points. Moore-McNeil and Garzon each had 10. Garzon added eight rebounds and four assists. The Hoosiers had 17 assists.
"I'm proud and grateful of this group," Moren said. "We had some special moments. It will serve as motivation."
In the game's opening six minutes, IU struggled to make shots (2-for-9) and rebound (South Carolina had an 11-3 edge), yet trailed just 7-5 thanks to Moore-McNeil's three points and a Garzon basket. A Striplin layup and a Moore-McNeil three-pointer pushed Indiana ahead 12-9 to end the first quarter. The Hoosiers held the Gamecocks without a point in the final three minutes for South Carolina's fewest points in a first quarter since 2019.
Ciezki's three-pointer capped the 10-0 run for a 15-9 second-quarter lead. Forward Lilly Meister scored to push the Hoosiers ahead 19-11. A Moore-McNeil basket made it a 21-15 score with 4:49 left.
South Carolina surged ahead 23-21 before a Ciezki basket tied it at 23-23. Parrish's three-pointer helped IU take a 26-25 halftime lead. Moore-McNeil led with 10 points. Ciezki added seven. The Hoosiers held the Gamecocks to 10-for-29 shooting with seven turnovers.
South Carolina opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run. Parrish's second three-pointer pulled IU within 38-33. The Gamecocks surged ahead 45-33. Garzon hit a three-pointer, but it wasn't enough. The Hoosiers trailed 50-41 entering the fourth quarter, then went on a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to seven, but couldn't get any closer.
Moren said the addition of UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten requires the Hoosiers to get bigger and more athletic, but she won't compromise the intangibles of high character, competitiveness and team-first mentality.
"As the game has grown," she said, "we have to grow with it."
Parrish has no doubt the Hoosiers will.
"I have a lot of confidence in the team next year and in the years to come."
