South Carolina Crushes IU Women’s Basketball Dreams in Heartbreaking Sweet 16 Showdown!

ALBANY, NY – The Indiana women's basketball team took South Carolina to the limit Friday night at MVP Arena.

The Gamecocks, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, came into the game as heavy favorites. ESPN BET labeled South Carolina as a 17.5-point favorite.

The Hoosiers, however, earned the Gamecocks a trip to the Elite Eight. Indiana covered the difference, falling, 79-75.

IU's guards proved to be the difference in the game. Sophomore Yarden Garzón (16) and seniors Chloe Moore-McNeil (12), Sydney Parrish (21) and Sara Scalia (12) scored 61 of the Hoosiers' 75 total points.

The Gamecocks' biggest lead was 22 points. IU managed to cut that lead to two points with 1:08 left in the game.

South Carolina forced Indiana to play outside its comfort zone. The Gamecocks limited the Hoosiers' leading scorer this season, forward Mackenzie Holmes, to 12 points and four rebounds.

The 6-foot-3 Holmes, who has averaged 20 points per game this year, struggled against South Carolina's 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, who finished Friday's game with 22 points and seven rebounds.

Cardoso was South Carolina's leading scorer and rebounder. The Gamecocks' second leading scorer was Raven Johnson, who finished the contest with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists.

South Carolina will play Oregon State on Sunday. The Beavers defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 70-65, on Friday afternoon in Albany.

The Hoosiers finished their season 26-6 overall. IU went 15-3 in conference play and finished third in the Big Ten at the end of the regular season.