On March 8, in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament, the No. 7 ranked IU Indianapolis women’s basketball team lost to the No. 5 ranked Purdue Fort Wayne 49-85 in a game where missed shots, fouls and shot-clock violations attributed to the loss.
The first quarter started off with IU Indy defending, having lost the opening tip. After a missed layup from Purdue Fort Wayne, the Jaguars would have possession but would lose it due to a shot clock violation. The Jaguars first points of the match would come after another missed shot from Purdue Fort Wayne with guard Olivia Smith scoring from the paint. Both teams traded points, missed shots and lost possession with the lead changing twice before Purdue Fort Wayne extended that lead to end the first quarter 13-10.
The second quarter saw many missed shots and turnovers from the Jaguars that allowed Purdue Fort Wayne to extend their lead. A foul on guard Hailey Smith added the team’s first points of the second quarter, but three minutes would go by before the team would score again. While Purdue Fort Wayne found their groove, IU Indy could not seem to rack any points, missing 11 shots and turning the ball over five times. The last minute and a half saw no points scored by either side, ending the second quarter with a score of 24-39 with Purdue Fort Wayne on top.
Coming into the third quarter, IU Indy was looking to close the gap, however Purdue Fort Wayne kept adding pressure defensively and capitalized on missed shots and turnovers. The Jaguars first possession resulted in a missed jumper shot by Hailey Smith, who seconds later would score the team’s first points since the second quarter. Forward, Ariana Williams would score her first points of the game but the team would not score for another three minutes. Purdue Fort Wayne continued to score and widen the gap to end the third quarter 65-39.
The fourth quarter went similar to how the previous three quarters had gone, with the Jaguars continuing to have missed shots and turning over the ball. The team had the first possession but would not make the shot. Guard Sydney Bolden would score the Jags first points of the fourth quarter after being fouled and shooting from the free throw line. After Bolden’s points, the team would go on to have a four minute scoring drought, while Purdue Fort Wayne kept raking up points despite missing some shots.
Guard E’Zaria Adams would get fouled with 2:23 left on the clock to end the teams scoring drought and again a minute later, but that time she would be the team’s last scorer. The Jaguars would continue to take shots despite being down by more than 30 points and would ultimately lose the game ending their 2025-2026 season.
“I said to the girls in the locker room I don’t want this one game to define us. We were picked tenth, we were one of the top five teams here,” Head Coach Kate Bruce said in the post-game press conference. “We’re young, a little inexperienced…I’m hoping we can use this to build on and be back here in the same position next year.”
Citlali Sanchez is a senior majoring in sports journalism, with a minor in sport marketing. She enjoys going out for boba and watching soccer and anime. She can also be found volunteering at sporting events in town or out at coffee shops.
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