Indiana Women Beat Quinnipiac With a Thrilling Second-Half Comeback

After another slow start, Indiana came alive in the third quarter and kept that momentum going until the final whistle. Grace Berger led the Hoosiers with 17 points in their 67-59 win over Quinnipiac and even cashed in on another buzzer beater half-court shot.

No. 4-ranked Indiana struggled out of the gate again, but bounced back to get a nice road win over Quinnipiac on Saturday in Hamden, Conn., winning 67-59 to remain undefeated on their season.

"We got off to a slow start, but I thought we started to figure some things out in the second half," Indiana coach Teri Moren said. "This is a good win for us. Quinnipiac will win their conference, and it will be good for us at the end of the season from a resume standpoint."

Indiana senior guard Grace Berger led the Hoosiers with 17 points. Ali Patberg (12), Mackenzie Holmes (10) and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (10) were all in double figures as well.

The Hoosiers were down for the majority of the game, and Quinnipiac extended its lead to 13 — their largest lead of the game — with 5:29 to play in the second quarter.

Berger's second half-court buzzer beater shot of the season brought the Hoosiers within five, but the stop-and-start pattern of the game tripped up Indiana's tempo in the first half.

"There were a lot of whistles blown in that first half, and it's hard to get into a rhythm when you're in foul trouble," Holmes said. "We're a team that likes to get in rhythm and get in the flow of the game."

The now 4-0 Hoosiers finally took the lead with 1 minute remaining in the third quarter on a driving layup from sophomore Chloe Moore-McNeil.

"What helped us make a run in the second half was making layups, making free throws, not turning the ball over and playing solid defense," Berger said.

To help get the Hoosiers back on track, a special fan section came to support Holmes, a Gorham, Maine native.

Moren said as part of the recruiting process, she tells players she tries to schedule games that are in the vicinity of their families, and that's exactly what happened for Holmes Saturday as her support system made the shorter 3 1/2-hour drive from Maine to cheer her on in person.

"It meant the world to me that that many people were willing to come out and watch me play," Holmes said. "Just to have that support from back home is super overwhelming, and I'm super blessed to have that type of support system."

Looking ahead, the Hoosiers head to Nassau, Bahamas to compete in the 2021 Pink Flamingo Championships at Baha Mar Resort. The Hoosiers tip off first against the reigning NCAA champions, Stanford, on Thursday, followed by Miami on Saturday.

"We have a target on our back now, which we haven't necessarily in the past," Berger said. "We're the No. 4-ranked team in the country, so pretty much every time we play, it's going to mark on their calendars."

"We'll start our prep (Saturday night) on the way back to Bloomington, and we know we're facing the reigning champs," Moren said.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• HOOSIERS START ROAD TRIP AT QUINNIPIAC: No. 4-ranked Indiana is off to a 3-0 start this season, but now they head out of state for the first time, starting with a matchup with Quinnipiac on Saturday in Connecticut. The Hoosiers are looking to limit turnovers after a sloppy win on Tuesday. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA TAKES DOWN NORFOLK STATE: The Hoosiers started off with a slow first quarter, but Mackenzie Holmes and Aleksa Gulbe both lit up the floor to bring the Hoosiers to another victory. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA HOSTS NORFOLK STATE: The Hoosiers got a new No. 4 in front of its name after defeating then-No. 13 Kentucky. Tuesday, the Hoosiers welcome Norfolk State for its last home game of the month. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA BEATS NO. 13 KENTUCKY AT HOME: Mackenzie Holmes led the Hoosiers to victory with a career-high 29 points. Grace Berger contributed a buzzer beater before the half catching the eyes of ESPN. CLICK HERE