Bloomington, Ind. – Isabelle Bourne scored 15 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska women’s basketball team forced overtime at No. 4 Indiana before falling 74-62 to the Hoosiers on Sunday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Bourne’s steal and full-court finish with 2:20 left in regulation gave Nebraska a 62-60 lead. However, IU’s Sydney Parrish answered with a bucket just over 20 seconds later to tie the game for the Hoosiers. Both defenses shut out the offenses the rest of the way, as Jaz Shelley’s floater from 15-feet was off the mark with two seconds left for Nebraska.
The Huskers, who slipped to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, were held scoreless for five minutes of overtime, while Parrish opened with a three-pointer one minute into the extra period and added a pair of free throws with 1:34 left to help the Hoosiers improve to 13-1 and 3-1 in the conference. Nebraska slipped to 2-1 in overtime games this season, including a recent triple-overtime win over No. 20 Kansas (Dec. 28) and an overtime win over Mississippi State in Puerto Rico (Nov. 26).
Parrish, who scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, added seven rebounds for the Hoosiers. Mackenzie Holmes led IU with game highs of 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Alexis Markowski, Sam Haiby and Callin Hake all contributed 10 points for the Huskers in a scrappy effort. Markowski added six rebounds, while Haiby pitched in five rebounds and four assists. Shelley managed five points to go with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Nebraska got off to a quick start, building a seven-point lead on two occasions at 12-5 and 14-7 in the first quarter. The Huskers maintained a 22-19 lead at the end of the period. Indiana took its first lead of the day at 27-25 on a Sara Scalia bucket and the Hoosiers took a 31-30 lead to halftime.
The Huskers, who hit 4-of-5 threes in the first quarter, went just 1-for-7 from long range in the second period, but Indiana went 0-for-7 from beyond the arc and 4-for-17 from the floor in the period. The Hoosiers lived at the line in the first half, outscoring Nebraska 10-1. NU finished the half 12-for-26 from the floor, while Indiana went just 10-for-30.
Nebraska rebuilt a five-point lead (41-36) after back-to-back three-point plays from Markowski and Bourne, but the Hoosiers responded with 7-0 run that started with five made free throws before Chloe Moore-McNeil hit a field goal to put Indiana back up 43-41 with 4:43 left in the third quarter.
Hake and Haiby hit back-to-back shots to stop the run and tie the game at 45, before Hake’s three-pointer with a minute left in the period sent the Big Red to the fourth with a 48-47 lead. No team led by more than three points at any point in the fourth quarter, as the lead changed hands eight times to go along with three ties in the final period.
For the game, Nebraska hit 40 percent (24-60) of its shots from the field, including 9-of-22 (.409) three-pointers. The Huskers also matched the Hoosiers on the glass with 38 rebounds including seven offensive boards. Indiana won the turnover battle 21-13 and outscored NU 26-9 in points off turnovers.
Indiana’s other huge advantage came at the line, outscoring NU 24-5, attempting 30 free throws compared to just nine for the visiting Huskers. Nebraska was whistled for 21 personal fouls compared to just 10 for the Hoosiers, despite Nebraska maintaining a lead for a majority of the contest. The Hoosiers finished just 4-for-16 from three-point range, including a three-pointer in the corner from Yarden Garzon with three seconds left in the overtime to make the final outcome.
Nebraska returns to Big Ten road action next weekend, when the Huskers travel Piscataway, N.J., to take on Rutgers. Tip-off between the Huskers and Scarlet Knights is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT), with live television coverage from the Big Ten Network. The game can also be heard live across the Huskers Radio Network, on the Huskers App and on Huskers.com.
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