Moments before Indiana tipped off its round of 32 NCAA tournament game against Oklahoma Monday night, Mackenzie Holmes had one final message to her team: no regrets.
It was her final game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and she wanted to leave it all out on the court. She also didn’t want to lose.
None of the Hoosiers did. So, they didn’t. In a fourth-quarter comeback, Indiana took down Oklahoma 75-68 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years.
“I thought the team that wanted it the most was going to win it tonight,” Teri Moren said. “And I thought that clearly, especially in the fourth, they were a team that really wanted to win.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, Indiana trailed 48-46. It was only two points, but it might as well have been 10. Holmes, such a crucial part of Indiana’s energy, had struggled the whole night. She had 17 points but was only 7-for-17 from the field, and every time one of her layups rolled the wrong way off the rim, the energy in Assembly Hall took a hit.
But with 10 minutes left in her final game in Bloomington, Holmes came out with a different kind of look in her eye. It was one of hunger, determination and fearlessness. She was going to get a win, and nothing was going to get in her way.
The rest of her team knew it. They let her have her moment.
“It’s Mackenzie Holmes, she’s the best post player in the country,” Lenée Beaumont said. “We knew when we were down, she was going to take over and do whatever it takes to win, and that’s just how she’s always been.”
It’s been a hallmark of Holmes’ career; when she has to, she takes over. Holmes finished the night with 29 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter as she scored bucket after bucket to keep Indiana alive. Throughout the night, Indiana struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm, especially against Oklahoma’s strong presence in the post. So when Holmes started to hit a groove, there was no one else Indiana wanted to get the ball to.
“She was struggling, missing shots that she normally makes,” Moren said. “But when we needed her to step up in the biggest moment, she stepped up.”
Holmes knew firsthand what it felt to lose in a tournament game in Assembly Hall, as Indiana lost to Miami in last year’s Round of 32 matchup to end Grace Berger’s career. Never again, she said.
“I know how it felt last year, we all know how it felt last year, and I was going to do…