The #4 Seed Indiana Hoosiers pulled away in the second half to hand the #13 seed Fairfield Stags their second loss and end their season 89-56 on Saturday in the First Round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Saturday Afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana 25-5 will advance to Monday’s Night’s Second Round. Fairfield snaps a 29-game winning streak and ends their season with a 31-2 Record. Indiana is 2-1 all-time against Fairfield including a 2-0 record against the Stags in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are 5-0 in the first round in the NCAA Tournament under Head Coach Teri Moren after going 1-3 in the first round in four appearances prior to Teri Moren’s time at Indiana.
Sara Scalia led the Hoosiers with 27 points and hit five three pointers to extend her school record for most three pointers in a single season with 100. Mackenize Holmes, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Yarden Garzon all scored 13 points apiece. Sydney Parrish and Lexus Bargesser scored 7 points each. Lilly Meister scored 4 points, Lenee Beaumont added 3 points and 2 points from Juliana La Mendola. Henna Sandvik and Arielle Wisne played but did not score. The Hoosiers finished the game 31-61 for from the field, 10-26 from three-point range for 38% and 17-22 from the free throw line for 77%. The Hoosiers pulled down 45 rebounds, dished out 25 assists, 5 steals, 10 blocks and committed 13 turnovers.
Janelle Brown led the Stags with 19 points and Meghan Andersen added 10 points. Fairfield finished 21-66 from the field for 31%, 11-33 from three-point range and 3-4 from the free throw line for 75%. The Stags pulled down 29 rebounds, dished out 14 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks and committed 12 turnovers. The Stags were playing in front of one of the biggest crowds they have played in front of, and Jenelle Brown acknowledged that it played a factor. “The atmosphere was hard to compete against and it was hard to heard plays and coach” Jenelle Brown Said after the game. Brown added “This loss was a lesson, but to be a champion you have to learn from it”.
The Game started out fast as Jenelle Brown score the first five points for the Stags as both teams were driving inside as neither team was able to stop the drive in the first quarter as the Hoosiers led 20-17 at the end of the first quarter. Fairfield went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter to lead 29-24 with 5:18 left in the second quarter before Chloe Moore-McNeil ended the drought to make it 29-26. Fairfield extended the lead 31-26 when Meghan Andersen scored with 4:47 Left. The Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run to up five points with 55 seconds left before the break to make 36-31 as the Hoosiers led 38-34 at halftime.
In the third quarter teams were trading three-point buckets as the teams combined for six three pointers as Indiana outscored Fairfield 26-15 at the end of the third quarter with the Hoosiers leading 64-49. Fairfield’s Emina Selimovic hit back-to-back threes and was feeling confident after draining the second three, but Indiana closed out in the fourth quarter with a 25-7 run as the Hoosiers held Jenelle Brown to seven second half points after scoring 14 in the second half.
Fairfield Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis was an assistant coach when Sara Scalia played at Minnesota, and she has seen her game improve and evolve in the last two years that Scalia has transferred to Indiana from Minnesota. “Sara is an incredible person and player, and she continues to grow and always improving her game” Thibault-DuDonis said after the game. She added “As much as we wanted to stop her, she is just that good and she led Indiana to this win”. Fairfield returns most of their team back for next season and with Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis signing a three-year contract extension a couple days ago she will have this team back in the NCAA Tournament next season.
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