Indiana Women's Basketball Wraps Up Season With Decorated Resume

Adversity struck this season when starting forward Holmes went down with a left knee injury just ahead of the Nebraska game in January. She had a successful surgery but wasn’t able to play until mid-February.

Also, three Hoosier games were postponed, and one game was canceled due to COVID-19 complications within other programs and Indiana’s locker room too.

The Hoosiers expressed resiliency making it all the way to the Sweet 16 round in Bridgeport, Conn. even with a shortened schedule.

The Huskies ended Indiana’s season by winning 75-58 in the regional semifinals at Total Mortgage Arena. Indiana knew it would be tough to knock off the No. 2-seed Huskies who have been to the Final Four 13 seasons in a row.

Even though the Hoosiers couldn’t make it to the Elite Eight like last season, the Hoosiers achieved a milestone of making it to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons.

“We've had a lot of moments where we can check them off,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “Like historical moments inside of our program, and to be able to get to back-to-back Sweet 16s — this is something that these guys are going to have forever.”

One historical moment was hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history with the highest seed number to date at No. 3 achieved by Indiana’s returning Elite Eight starters.

“That's the one thing that this group I can say they've done for the last two years is that we know what we can count on, and when you know what you can count on, you can do great things,” Moren said.

Indiana completes its 2021-22 season with its seventh consecutive 20 or more win season with a 24-9 record and an 11-5 conference record. Plus, the Hoosiers made it to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the first time since 2002.

“They (goals) were cemented by the kids like the Ali Patbergs and the Leks (Gulbe) and the Nikki (Cardaño-Hillary) that really believed in the vision but also really have believed in just the work that it takes,” Moren said.

Now it’s time to say goodbye to the three starting seniors plus valuable bench player Grace Waggoner as the UConn matchup would be their final college game.

The entire team has built up a strong bond created by the veterans ranging from emotional leaders like Ali Patberg to funny leaders like Cardaño-Hillary.

While the team may never look the same, it’ll still be on the path the four seniors helped build.

“Our chemistry has been off the charts the last two seasons, and a lot of it has to do with not just because they're good basketball players but because they're good kids, and they like each other, and they care about each other,” Moren said.

Patberg said the reason the team was so great is because they played for one another and in most games felt like the smarter team due to their coaches’ preparation. She said they never stopped fighting.

“They've just been a model of consistency for us in terms of showing up, but also being about one another and just wanting each other to have success,” Moren said.

Luckily, Moren won’t completely have to rebuild her team as starters Berger and Holmes have announced they are both coming back to the team to continue making history and hopefully make an even deeper run in the NCAA Tournament next season.

“I know I have a great core group that's going to be returning to us,” Moren said. “Now it's just trying to fit all those pieces together because it will be different a year from now, or I should say a couple months from now when we get back together.”

Moren said the team will turn around and have the same high standards and goals for the next great group. Until next time, Hoosier fans.