Destiny Harden shocks top-seeded Indiana, sends Miami to first Sweet 16 since 1992
After their 12-point halftime lead vanished for the fourth time in the fourth quarter, the Miami Hurricanes had one more chance to avoid overtime and finish off a historic upset of the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Miami’s game plan was simple: The Hurricanes would throw the ball to Destiny Harden in the post. Fitzroy Anthony gave the guard simple, yet colorful, instructions:
“He told me to face up and win the [expletive] game,” Harden told ESPN, too quickly for the censors to stop it.
She faked once to get Indiana guard Grace Berger in the air, then went up and under for a game-winning shot with 3.3 seconds left. Miami stripped the ball from Hoosiers guard Chloe Moore-McNeil on the other end and then stormed onto the court to celebrate a 70-68 stunner in front of 14,480 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
For the first time since 1992 and the first time ever with coach Katie Meier at the helm, the Hurricanes (21-12) are headed to the Sweet 16 after taking down the No. 1 seed in Greenville regional 1.
In its their only other trip to the second weekend of the NCAA tourney, Miami only had to win one game because the tournament field was smaller and it had a first-round bye. This time, the No. 9-seed Hurricanes had to rally from 17 down to upset No. 8-seed Oklahoma State in Round 1 on Saturday, then survive a relentless second-half push from Indiana on its home floor in the Round of 32.
Miami never trailed the Hoosiers (28-4) and answered all four times they tied the game in the fourth quarter.
When Indiana knotted the score at 60-60 and missed a potential go-ahead free throw with 3:06 remaining, the Hurricanes answered with five straight points on a layup by forward Lola Pendande and a three-pointer by guard Haley Cavinder. When the Hoosiers tied the game at 65-65 in the last minute, Harden got to the free-throw line and went 1 of 2 to put Miami back up 66-65.
It was the start of a roller-coaster final minute for Harden. On Indiana’s next possession, Moore-McNeil missed a wide-open layup, but Harden then missed two free throws. The Hoosiers got another chance at a potential game-winning shot and Indiana guard Grace Berger missed. Finally, Cavinder hit two free throws to push the Hurricanes’ lead to 68-65 and they needed them because Hoosiers guard Yarden Garzon drilled a step-back three with 6.6 seconds left to tie the game at 68-68.
Miami took a timeout and went right to Harden in the post. The senior pump faked, then went up and under to send the Hurricanes into the third round.
Harden finished with 18 points and five rebounds, despite battling foul trouble in the second half. Pendande had 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Guard Jasmyne Moore-McNeil added 16 points and six rebounds, and stripped Moore-McNeil on the last possession to clinch the win.
For the first time ever, two No. 1 seeds are out on the first weekend of the tourney and the Hurricanes’ thrilling underdog run is alive.
This story was originally published March 20, 2023 at 10:32 PM.
