Massive Comeback Falls Short, Indiana Loses 79-75 to No. 1 Overall Seed South Carolina in Sweet 16

Undefeated South Carolina eyed a blowout win in the second half, but the Hoosiers trimmed a 22-point deficit to just two points before suffering a season-ending 79-75 loss in the Sweet 16.

Mar 29, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Chloe Moore-McNeil (22) drives the ball against South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana ran into an undefeated juggernaut in No. 1 overall seed South Carolina on Friday at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.

The Hoosiers trailed by as many as 22 points, but they slowly whittled that down to two points in the fourth quarter. Despite a gritty comeback, Indiana’s season ended in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a 79-75 loss to South Carolina, now 35-0. 

"We're very disappointed. I felt like if we had a few more minutes, maybe the outcome would be a little bit different for us tonight," Indiana coach Teri Moren said. "But I can't overstate enough how proud I am and our staff is of our group and the way they fought."

The Gamecocks flexed their muscles early. Bree Hall hit an open three just six seconds into the game, and Te-Hina Paopao sunk another three just 32 seconds later. 

The one-on-one matchup to watch heading into the game was South Carolina’s second-team All-American center Kamilla Cardoso versus Indiana’s third-team All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes. Following a pair of South Carolina threes to begin the game, Cardoso, with a four-inch height advantage over Holmes, scored six straight points. 

Less than two minutes into the game, Indiana committed two turnovers and South Carolina led 10-2. Moren’s Hoosiers responded with a 7-0 run and later tied the game 12-12 with a Sydney Parrish 3-pointer. 

But South Carolina punched right back with an 8-0 run, and Holmes picked up her second foul with 2:01 left in the first quarter. The Gamecocks made 5-of-7 3-point attempts in the first quarter and carried a 26-15 lead into the second quarter. 

The Hoosiers’ nation-best 3-point shooting trimmed the deficit to as little as six points twice in the second quarter, but coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks closed the half on a 15-4 run and took a 17-point lead into halftime, their biggest lead at that point. 

South Carolina’s lead grew as high as 22 points with 7:30 in the third quarter, but Indiana did not fold.

The Hoosiers outscored South Carolina 23-16 in the third quarter, thanks to eight points from Parrish and six from Yarden Garzon. After getting fouled by Cardoso just before the quarter ended, Holmes had a chance to cut South Carolina’s lead to eight points at the free throw line. She missed both, though, and the Gamecocks maintained a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, despite Indiana’s 15-4 run.

The Hoosiers didn’t let those misses deflate their energy during the break, and they came out firing in the fourth quarter. It started with a Holmes layup, then a 3-pointer from Parrish made it a five-point deficit. Holmes made a layup with 1:08 left in the game, and what was once a 22-point deficit was now only two points. 

When South Carolina needed her most, guard Raven Johnson stepped up. She answered Holmes’ shot with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to five with 53 seconds left. The Gamecocks ultimately made just enough free throws in the final minute to keep the game out of the Hoosiers’ reach.

Cardoso, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, neutralized Holmes – Indiana’s leading scorer this season at 20 points per game – for most of the night. Holmes finished with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting, her fourth-fewest points of the season. She even attempted and missed four 3-pointers – she had attempted eight threes all season – as she often struggled against Cardoso’s dominating size inside. The Hoosiers' 14 turnovers, tied for their seventh most this season, cost them 19 points.

It was the 3-point shooting from Parrish, Garzon, Scalia and Chloe Moore-McNeil that made up for Holmes’ rough night and powered the comeback. Those four combined to make 13-of-29 3-point attempts. Indiana’s defense certainly deserves credit too, as it allowed 49 points in the first half but just 30 in the second half.

Indiana got just two points from its bench, but South Carolina’s depth was on full display. Staley utilized a nine-player rotation that sustained a high level of play throughout the game, and all nine players scored at least four points. Cardoso led the Gamecocks with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks. As a team, South Carolina shot 50% from the field and made 8-of-16 3-point attempts.

With this loss, Indiana concludes its season with a 26-6 record. In Moren’s 10th season, the Hoosiers finished third in the Big Ten and went 17-0 at home. 

It also marked the final college basketball game for first-team All-Big Ten players Holmes and Scalia. Holmes, a two-time All-American, became the program’s all-time leading scorer in her fifth season, and Scalia set the program’s single-season 3-point record with 103.

Moren has elevated the program with three Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight run all in the last four seasons, and now she’ll be challenged to replace Holmes and Scalia.