COLUMBIA, S.C. — Unlike the past two seasons, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall sits empty on the opening weekend of NCAA Tournament play. This season, it did not see a ranked Indiana team, headlined by All-Americans. It did not see the Hoosiers battling atop of the Big Ten. It did, however, see a team that was prepared to take on March.
The Hoosiers did just that, extending the streak to six years in a row with an NCAA Tournament victory in a 76-68 victory over Utah on Friday afternoon.
The first-ever matchup between Indiana and Utah got off to a blazing start. The first quarter featured a rapid pace with both teams firing off shots back and forth. It took over nine minutes to reach the first timeout. Forty-six seconds of game time later, the quarter ended in a 17-17 deadlock.
The second quarter began much slower and messier as fatigue began to kick in. Utah would pull away to a 28-22 lead before Indiana decided something needed to change.
“We need to bring it back,” Indiana sophomore guard Shay Ciezki said during a timeout. “We need to tie this game up going into halftime so we have momentum to come out.”
Indiana did just that.
After Indiana knocked down three consecutive shots at the end of the second quarter, the Hoosiers and Utes went into the halftime break tied at 31. Indiana did not want it to stop there.
“We always make it a point of emphasis when we do have the game tied or we do have the lead to not let up and keep our foot on the gas pedal,” Indiana senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil said.
To accomplish this, Indiana took a different approach to the second half; one that Indiana head coach Teri Moren felt confident her players would execute.
“We trust this group to know what a good shot is,” Moren said. “It's trusting that they're going to make the right play.”
As Moren ensured her trust in her players, they answered the call. The right play for the final 20 minutes of gameplay was the two-point shot. Indiana shot 10-for-12 from the field in the third quarter, outscoring Utah 27-16 and only taking two 3-pointers.
The Hoosiers went into the fourth quarter leading 58-47, but Utah did not let up. The Utes, the sixth-best team in the nation in 3-point makes per game, finally got it going from downtown and cut the Indiana lead to four with two-plus minutes to go. Indiana’s answer remained the same: the two-point shot. Mid range jumpers from Moore-McNeil and Yarden Garzon with under 90 seconds to go gave Indiana all the cushion it needed to emerge victorious.
The Hoosiers shot 69.6% from the field in the second half, shooting 14-for-17 from two-point range and 2-for-6 from 3. Utah, as it did all season, continued to rely on the 3-point shot 6-for-19 in the second half. It was not enough to get the job done.
Indiana spread the wealth all game long and did it efficiently. Among seven total scorers, five were in double figures for Indiana, Garzon led the way with 17 and Ciezki piled on 16. Moore-McNeil added 12, Lilly Meister 11 off the bench, and Karoline Striplin 10.
Shooting nearly 70% in the second half certainly helps in winning a game, but it is not the only reason.
"Our heart, our effort, our toughness won us this game today," Moren said.
Those mental traits will be important for Indiana as a familiar foe for Moren’s squad awaits in round two. South Carolina ended Indiana’s season just a year ago and will look to do it once more. The Hoosiers will face off against one-seeded Gamecocks on their home floor on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
