What Teri Moren, Sydney Parrish Said After Indiana's 69-56 Loss to Michigan
Indiana suffered a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday night, falling 69-56 to Michigan. The Hoosiers were without All-Big Ten star Mackenzie Holmes, who didn't play until late in the fourth quarter due to an injury.
Even without Holmes, Indiana was able to build a 17-point lead and appeared to be in complete control of the game at halftime. But the Wolverines came out of the locker room with a different mindset, outscoring the Hoosiers 48-21 in the final 20 minutes.
Laila Phelia was excellent for Michigan, scoring 30 points in the win.
After Friday's disappointing loss, Indiana coach Teri Moren and senior guard Sydney Parrish met with the media to discuss the outcome.
Teri Moren's opening statement ...
"It was the tale of two halves. We got off to a really good start. Loved how hard we played. We had to move our pieces around. I thought we rebounded the ball in the first half. I thought we were doing some really good things. Knew that Michigan was not going to go away.
"Came out, second half, completely different story. Bad shots, forced shots, I thought we panicked at times. And we only had four turnovers at half, we ended up with them scoring 24 points off our turnovers. 19 of those came off our 10 turnovers in the second half.
"Give Michigan credit. I thought Laila Phelia was really good tonight. Just put her head down and attacked us. I thought Cameron Williams was a load for us on the inside, as well. And then (Lauren) Hansen knocking down that three when we switched defenses. She had to step up and hit some big shots for them.
"We're really disappointed, but as I said to our guys, we have to continue to learn, even in moments like this. Turnovers have been something we've addressed. Being able to guard better off the dribble is something we've addressed. We didn't either of those good enough in the second half."
Sydney Parrish
On Parrish getting shaken up during the game ...
Parrish: "It's March, things happen. It's frustrating having to leave the court but I wanted to be out there and help as much as I could. Gotta shake things off and get back out on the court."
On Parrish's emotion after the loss ...
Parrish: "I think I'm most disappointed because I know what this group is capable of. I know we could have made it to championship Sunday. I know we're one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. And I think that's where I got really emotional and upset. Because I know we're capable enough, I know we have the pieces, even with Mackenzie (Holmes) and Lilly (Meister) battling injuries and stuff. We still have enough pieces to be a championship team. So, just pretty disappointed."
On what Michigan did in the second half ...
Parrish: "They started attacking the basket really aggressively. We had trouble keeping Phelia in front of us. Once we went to the zone, they started hitting shots. Turnovers lead to fastbreak layups and it's hard to play defense when there are turnovers. That's really what happened at the end of the game."
On looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament ...
Parrish: "We talked about in the locker room that teams in the country are losing this week and their season is over. We have the opportunity to go do something exciting in March. We know that. So, this next week or two, try to get as healthy as we can and bounce back harder.
"Last year we lost early in the NCAA Tournament and I think that this year, we're gonna have a chip on our shoulder and we're gonna come out harder."
On plans during the time off before March Madness ...
Parrish: "You know, just being in the gym and trying to get healthy. Get up and down a little bit and start preparing. Watching film on this week's game. Just get ready for the tournament. It's gonna be a fun one, so we're excited to push this aside and start looking at the next season."
On the adjustment playing without Holmes ...
Parrish: "I mean, we've dealt with it before. You've seen us last year, postseason, we've been without her on the court before. She brings a lot but we have a lot of players on the bench that are gonna step up and help us, too.
"Lilly was battling an injury and stepped up and played 21 minutes and I didn't think she could walk yesterday. I think that's pretty good to see. She gave us good minutes.
"Mackenzie's presence was missed but I think we're gonna be great."
Teri Moren
On Holmes' health and decision not play her until late ...
Moren: "I think it was just trying to figure out the balance. Our goal was to be here until Sunday. She was available, we knew she was gonna be available. We didn't want to have to play her. We wanted to be able to use her tomorrow more.
"But she looked at me and said, 'I'm ready to go in.' In terms of how healthy she is, she easily could've played tonight. We were just trying to hold her out as much as we could to see with the pieces that we did have if we could get past Michigan and into tomorrow's semifinal."
On when was the right time to put Holmes in the game ...
Moren: "I don't know. I'm not sure how you figure that out. I really did think that we would be able to settle down a little bit. In the timeouts we talked about we're kinda going off script here.
"Shot selection, forced shots, I think everybody was just trying to do a little bit more. We just needed to do what we're good at, and that's share the ball and play off of one another. Again, the turnovers — almost every one of those led to a runout. There's no defense for that."
On the difference from the regular season game vs. Michigan ...
Moren: "Michigan is playing for something right now. Kim (Barnes Arico) and her staff do an excellent job. We just got off to a really good start. ... Felt good going into halftime, but cautioned our kids that it was far from over.
"And then Phelia came out and decided to take over that third and fourth quarter. And she had help. Williams was a presence on the inside. Again, when we did change our defenses ... those threes at the end really hurt us."
On what Indiana did poorly in the second half ...
Moren: "I felt like we were all guilty of trying to do a little too much as individuals. That's what I love about this group so much, because they wanna do the right thing.
"We've been in those scenarios before. We've had a lead, we were able to maintain a lead, tonight we weren't. A lot of that has to do with Michigan. Tonight, I thought we kinda lost our way there in critical moments."
On what Holmes' schedule looks like for the tournament ...
Moren: "She's been in practice, probably early in the week she was not, but it won't be like we did a year ago. Because this is where she hurt her knee a year ago, so she needed that time off.
"She feels really good, which is very positive. ... The two weeks in between (the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament) is gonna be really important for this group. I do think when the NCAA Tournament gets here, I think we'll look and feel a whole lot different."
On not having IU's 'best version' in the Big Ten Tournament ...
Moren: "It stinks, it really does. Especially when it's such a great group and they're so connected. We've had a great year. Have been in some really tough battles in which we've won — a couple that we've lost. So, you want to come into this tournament and have a chance because you came so close in the regular season to winning another one. This is your last chance for those seniors ... It stinks that we kinda limped into this tournament.
"But I still admire this group and love them and appreciate them giving everything they had in spite of all those things that, right now, haven't gone our way."
On Indiana's chance of hosting NCAA Tournament games ...
Moren: "I think our body of work speaks for itself. We are not healthy by any stretch. I think that has to be part of the criteria or whatever they look at. This is not Indiana at full health right now. It's not a healthy squad.
"But I do believe this: Come tournament time in two weeks, we will have a much different, healthier basketball team."
Related stories on Indiana women's basketball
- GAME STORY: Indiana women's basketball led by 14 points at halftime to Michigan during the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, but crumbled in the second half. Laila Phelia led the game with 30 points. Sara Scalia had 14. Mackenzie Holmes' late-game appearance wasn't enough. CLICK HERE
- 2024 BIG TEN WBB BRACKET: The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is approaching quickly. This year's event is being held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. from March 6-10. We're keeping track of the bracket throughout the final month of the regular season. CLICK HERE
