BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Destiny Harden made a shot in the lane with 3.5 seconds left to send ninth-seeded Miami past top-seeded Indiana 70-68 on Monday night, lifting the Hurricanes to their first Sweet 16 since 1992.
The Hoosiers (28-4) became the second No. 1 seed to be eliminated in two nights. Stanford was upset Sunday on its home court. It’s the first time since 1998 that two No. 1 seeds did not advance to the regional semifinals.
“It feels good to make a shot and send Miami to the Sweet 16,” Harden said. “I’m very humbled, very special moment for us.”
Harden finished with 18 points and Lola Pendade had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Hurricanes (21-12), who never trailed on the Hoosiers home court.
Instead of celebrating Indiana’s third consecutive march to the Sweet 16, the raucous crowd grew increasingly annoyed with the way the game was called, anxious as time ticked off the clock and stunned as the Hurricanes celebrated.
Indiana certainly had its chances. Yarden Garzon tied the score twice in the final minute with 3-pointers, the second coming with 6.6 seconds to go.
But the Hoosiers couldn’t get the stop they needed after a timeout and turned the ball over on their final possession.
“We knew Indiana is a tough team,” Harden said. “They are a very special team. they are very efficient. We had to disrupt them a little bit. The 3 she hit was big time. Players make big time shots. We stayed together after the shot.”
Mackenzie Holmes led the Hoosiers with 22 points and nine rebounds. Grace Berger added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists in her final game. It was Indiana’s first loss of the season at Assembly Hall.
BIG PICTURE
Miami: After a historic 17-point comeback Saturday, the Hurricanes completed their run by getting just enough to hold off the hard-charging Hoosiers. A year ago, they fell short at South Carolina, another No. 1 seed in the second round. This time they finished the job.
Indiana: The best season in Hoosiers history came to a shockingly early win. They won the first outright Big Ten title in school history, finished a school-best second in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll, picked up their first No. 1 seed ever and expected to be heading to Dallas. Instead, they’ll start to contemplate life without Berger, one of the best players in school history.
UP NEXT
While the Hoosiers head home earlier than expected, the Hurricanes head to Greenville, South Carolina, for a showdown with fourth-seeded Villanova, which was ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press Top 25.
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AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
