INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana women’s basketball blitzed Oregon in the first quarter of Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament game largely due to its high pace. The Hoosiers led 23-11 after the first quarter, and they didn’t surrender that lead again en route to a 78-62 victory in the second round of the tournament.
Indiana forced an astounding seven Oregon turnovers in the first quarter, and it quickly turned those Oregon mishaps into outlet passes that became easy buckets in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“We always say we're best when we're playing fast, getting the ball out fast and hitting it ahead,” Indiana guard Sydney
Parrish said. “And I think we had 20 points off their turnovers, and that just shows how handsy we were on the defensive end, and then we're executing on the offensive end. So that really helped us.”
IU had 13 points off Oregon turnovers in the first quarter alone, which set the Hoosiers up pristinely for the rest of the
afternoon. Whether it was off a turnover or missed shot, IU found ways to turn stops into solid looks on the other end, especially from behind the arc. The Hoosiers knocked down five 3-pointers in the first quarter and were 11-of-25
from deep for the game.
When the Hoosiers played at Oregon on Jan. 24, they didn’t play with nearly the same urgency in their 54-47 loss that night. So in Thursday’s rematch, IU wanted to change that. Per Bart Torvik, Thursday’s game had 71 possessions compared to just 66 the first time these teams played.
“I do think we are better when we're hitting the ball ahead and we're playing fast,” said Indiana head coach Teri Moren. “…So that's what we wanted our guys to do. We wanted them to play fast, but we also wanted them to be very aggressive today.”
While Indiana’s offense has multiple capable options, it has struggled playing bogged down, half court offense at times this year. When this team plays fast, it takes the onus off individual ball-handlers to create offense and instead allows for this team to thrive off ball movement. Eighteen of Indiana’s 25 made field goals were assisted on Thursday.
Indiana’s fast attack can also wear down opponents as games go on. Four of Indiana’s five starters play at least 30
minutes per game, so they’re used to being on the court and sprinting for extended stretches. Indiana outscored Oregon 22-14 in Thursday’s fourth quarter, as it was apparent that fatigue hit the Ducks harder than the Hoosiers.
“I think we've trained ourselves and conditioned ourselves throughout the season to be able to play those high minutes and be able to beat teams in the fourth quarter,” Parrish said. “And we pride ourselves on that.”
IU will now play USC — who’s No. 2 in the country and won the Big Ten regular season outright — in the conference
quarterfinal on Friday. USC defeated IU 73-66 on Jan. 19 in Bloomington.
For IU to beat a team that has won 19 of its last 20 games, the Hoosiers need to produce easy baskets in transition. IU trailed by just a point heading into the fourth quarter the last time these teams played, but a 4-for-13 shooting output in the final quarter buried the Hoosiers. As the game slowed down, so did IU’s scoring.
Indiana is not a team that can afford to consistently let its offense become a half court one, especially against projected NCAA Tournament teams like Oregon and USC. For the Hoosiers’ success on Friday (and in the NCAA Tournament), they’ll need to get stops and quickly turn those stops into offense.
If this team plays fast, it’s set up well to win. If not, it could struggle to generate quality offense.
