Balanced effort helps Indiana beat NC State and secure its first berth in the women’s basketball Elite Eight

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8:37 p.m. ET

  • Mechelle VoepelESPN.com

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      Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel started beating women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.

SAN ANTONIO – The first No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament has lost as No. 4 Indiana upset NC State 73-70 in the Mercado Region semifinal on Saturday and the Hoosiers make their first-ever trip to the Elite Eight worried.

Indiana had only been to the Sweet 16 once before, in 1983, the second year of the NCAA Women’s Tournament, when the field was down to 36 teams and the Hoosiers only needed to win one game to advance to the regional semifinals.

Indiana had all five starters finish in double digits on Saturday, led by Ali Patberg with 17 points.

The Hoosiers finished second in the regular season of the Big Ten against Maryland, the number 2 seed in the Hemisfair Region to play in the Sweet 16 on Sunday vs. Texas. But Indiana was upset in the Michigan State conference tournament before coming to San Antonio and taking victories against VCU, Belmont, and NC State. This is Indiana’s seventh trip to the NCAA tournament and it’s their third under coach Teri Moren.

The Wolfpack were without senior starter Kayla Jones, who sustained a knee injury in their opening round win and did not return. NC State was the ACC tournament champion, taking victories this season against then No. 1 South Carolina in December and then No. 1 Louisville in February.

Indiana won from a 3-point range despite only 2 of 14 tries, compared to NC State’s nine 3-pointers.

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