‘Fight until the end’: Effort shown by Indiana women’s basketball in Sweet Sixteen loss encapsulates this season and how this program was built

Everyone knew what was at stake in Friday’s Sweet Sixteen game against top-seed South Carolina. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to take an entire team effort for Indiana women’s basketball to come up with its biggest win in program history.

Biggest win in terms of the storylines coming in, not because of the spot that Indiana was in. Getting to the Sweet Sixteen was nothing new to Teri Moren and the program she has built. Indiana has been in that spot in three of the last four years, including an Elite Eight run three years ago. But, none of those matchups were against the defending-national champions and an undefeated team.

South Carolina’s record over the last three years is now 106-3. So, beating the Gamecocks was going to take a monumental effort.

That’s exactly what Indiana women’s basketball did, despite the loss.

“Well, we’re very disappointed,” Moren said following the 79-75 loss. “I felt like if we had a few more minutes, maybe the outcome would be a little bit different for us tonight. But I can’t overstate enough how proud I am and our staff is of our group and the way they fought.

” … We’re disappointed because we’ve been here before, but we wanted to get to that next — advance and move on because we think we really do have – I believe this – a very special basketball team.”

‘The way they fought’. That is not only a statement that describes the performance on Friday — it’s also what can describe the season and the way this program has been built.

Why and how? Look no further than the beginning of this season. Indiana was blown out by Stanford and Iowa by 32 and 27 points respectively. Those two opponents were on a different level than a lot of the other programs around the country that Indiana had played.

Friday against South Carolina was even another level, so there was certainly some outside doubt about what Indiana women’s basketball could do. And early, it seemed as though those doubts came to fruition as Indiana saw an 11-point deficit after the first quarter and then a 22-point deficit early in the third quarter.

Then, Indiana got back to its roots and back to the bones that built this program — toughness.

“We’re a tough team, and we knew we were going to have to fight until the end,” Indiana wing Sydney Parrish said. “We could have given up after halftime, and it could have been a really ugly game, but we’re fighters, and I think we showed that tonight.

“I’m glad we did because I think it put us on the map, and I think people will realize what Indiana basketball is, and we weren’t going to give up. We knew we were going to fight until the end, whether that was for us to make it to the Elite 8 or whether it was for Sara, Mackenzie and Arielle, it being their last game. We didn’t want to go out without a fight.”

Indiana got the South Carolina lead down to as little as two points with 1:08 left before a three by the Gamecocks solidified its lead and ultimate win.

Not that Indiana needed to be ‘put on the map’ like Parrish said — mainly because Indiana is already there — but its performance more so showed that this program won’t be backing down to anyone at anytime and at any place.

And as Indiana women’s basketball now moves into a new era without all-time great Mackenzie Holmes, there will certainly be a different feel inside the locker room, on the court and in Assembly Hall. But — Teri Moren has made it known that as long as she’s on the sidelines, there will be absolutely no quit in her teams.

“I’m always optimistic. That’s just how I’ve been raised,” Moren said. “Those guys that are coming back (next year), this is a great experience for them. It needs to sting. It needs to hurt a little bit. I want our kids — as I said to them, to walk out with their heads held high. But I want it to bother Beau (Lenée Beaumont). I want it to bother Jewels (Julianna LaMendola). I want it to bother Chloe (Moore-McNeil), I want it to bother Lily (Meister), all those kids, Lexy (Bargesser). I want it to bother them, and I know it does.”

So as the page turns and ends another terrific chapter for Indiana, it’s about moving forward and counting to build on the last few years that have most definitely put the Indiana women’s basketball program on the map.

How will they do it? Being tough — the way Teri Moren has always done it.

“Well, the way that we can honor Mackenzie (Holmes), the way we can honor Grace (Berger), the way we can honor the Ali Patbergs who have been in our program is doing what they do, and they show up and they do more than what’s required, and that’s part of the recipe for us,” Moren said. “We’re not a team that will come in and look forward to a two-hour practice. I’m going to have kids in there before practice. I’m going to have kids that are going to stay after. I have to adjust my meeting times usually with my staff because they are scheduled on the half hour, on the 40-minute with those kids that are coming in doing extra. That’s what it requires, not just the two hours. What are they doing outside of practice time.

“That’s what Grace Berger — every day, every day, Mackenzie Holmes, every day. It’s cool when you bring in kids and you say you’re an outlier if you’re not going to do this every day, and we’re not for everybody, but if you’re willing and you want to get better, this is a place you probably want to think about because our staff, we’re going to be in the trenches, we’re going to roll up our sleeves, we’re going to help you develop and get better in your time here at Indiana.

“I think we can talk about Grace Berger, the career she’s had, the career Mack (Mackenzie) had and so forth. We’ve got great evidence that the way we’re doing things is working for us.”

SEE ALSO: The greatest to ever do it — Mackenzie Holmes reflects on her Indiana women’s basketball career: ‘I love being a Hoosier’

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