No. 4 Indiana women survive late Miami rally, win 53-51
Nov 27, 2021, 5:32 AM | Updated: 8:58 pm
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Two days after failing to come up with enough late plays to pull out a big win, Indiana did just enough to hold off Miami’s late rally.
Mackenzie Holmes had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 4 Hoosiers beat Miami 53-51 on Saturday night at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.
“We’re lucky. Sometimes we talk about winning ugly, and sometimes you have to be lucky to win a game,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said. “Give Miami a tremendous amount of credit. I thought they challenged us in every way.”
Indiana was coming off a three-point loss to No. 7 Stanford on Thursday in the opener of the tournament. The Hoosiers led by 12 midway through the final quarter on Saturday and looked poised to put the game away before Kelsey Marshall of Miami scored 11 straight to cut the deficit to one with under a minute to play.
The Hurricanes had a chance to win it but Marshall’s 3-pointer bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
“It’s not always going to be pretty and we know that going into every game,” Holmes said. “They got a great shot off at the end and it looked good.”
Ali Patberg added 13 points for the Hoosiers (5-1), who were plagued by turnovers, committing 24 in the game.
Indiana led 39-38 late in the third quarter before the team scored 13 of the next 15 points to get some breathing room. Five different players, including Patberg, scored during the game-changing spurt. Her layup with 5:02 left made it 52-40.
Miami (4-2) wouldn’t go away as Marshall took over to get the Hurricanes within 52-51 with 43.9 seconds left. She was hitting from all over, converting a three-point play and making two 3-pointers. Her drive to the basket made it a one-point game.
Patberg missed a 3-pointer from the wing, but Holmes grabbed the offensive rebound with 13 seconds left, giving the Hoosiers another possession. Miami was forced to foul a few times to get Indiana into the bonus.
Holmes converted one of two free throws with 7.1 seconds left to make it 53-51 setting up the final chance by Marshall.
“I went for it. It’s a play we have that’s usual an eight-second play. At the back of Kelsey’s mind she rushed it a little bit,” Miami coach Katie Meier said.
Marshall finished with 20 points for Miami.
The Hurricanes (4-2) once again had a solid defensive effort, but struggled at times on offense. They were down 28-13 in the second quarter before battling back.
“To keep a great team like that in the 50s is about 25 points below their average,” Meier said. “It does get frustrating when the little round thing doesn’t go in the big round thing.”
The game was played at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas in a converted ballroom complete with a low ceiling and a raised stage right off midcourt. There were high school-style bleachers behind the two benches for fans.
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES
At the end of the Stanford game with her team down three, Holmes got an offensive rebound, similar to Saturday’s finish, but put it back up instead of kicking it out for another chance at a tying shot. She said she learned from that error.
“I think learning from last game, I got the board and put the shot back up. I took a two. Instinctively that’s what I did,” Holmes said. “I knew I didn’t need to score (tonight). I focus on learning from my mistakes.”
TIP-INS
Miami is 5-33 all-time against teams ranked in the top five, but seven of the last 11 meetings have been single-digit affairs for the Canes. … This was Miami’s first tournament played outside the United States. … Indiana was 11-for-21 from the foul line.
BIG PICTURE
Miami: Meier’s team gained valuable experience against a top-five team, which will serve them well in the ACC.
Indiana: The Hoosiers found a way to grind out the victory, which should help them as the season progresses.
UP NEXT
Miami: Visits No. 2 Maryland on Thursday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Indiana: Hosts No. 5 N.C. State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday.
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