WATCH: Miami's Destiny Harden uses NSFW language in interview after hitting game-winner vs. Indiana
Destiny Harden rolled in a five-footer in the final seconds of 9-seed Miami‘s NCAA Tournament game to defeat 1-seed Indiana 70-68, and wasn’t shy about expressing her true feelings after the game.
She dropped a quick f-bomb while explaining her game-winning play, but let’s be honest — she can say whatever she wants right now after playing the hero Monday night.
“Coming into the huddle in the timeout, [associate head coach] Fitzroy [Anthony], man. He did it again. He told me face-up and win the f*cking game, excuse my language,” Harden said on the ESPN broadcast postgame.
Harden finsihed the game with 18 point and five rebounds while shooting 75 percent (3-4) from beyond the arc in 21 minutes on the court. Teammates Lola Pendande and Ja’Leah Williams combined for 35 points and 13 rebounds together. Haley Cavinder scored 9 points and hauled in 8 boards as well.
Cavinder is the team’s leading scorer with 12.8 points per game, and Harden sits right behind her at 11.9. Still, Harden was able to take over the game when Cavinder wasn’t hitting her shots. Even on the final play of the game, the Hurricanes tried to find Cavider at the 3-point line but good defense forced the ball down low into Harden’s hand.
The win makes Indiana the second No. 1 seed to be knocked out of the Round of 32, joining Stanford who lost to Ole Miss 54-49 on Sunday. The men’s tournament is also missing two of its No. 1 seeds heading into the Sweet 16 as well, meaning March is sparing no one this year. Coming into the women’s tournament, no top seed had lost in the first two rounds in 2009.
You would have to go back to 1998 to find the last time two No. 1 seeds were bounced before the second weekend. Ironically, Stanford was also a 1-seed and lost that year as well and lost to 16-seed Harvard and Texas Tech lost in the second round.
Miami finished the season in sixth place (11-7) in the final ACC standings, yet will be advancing to the Sweet 16 later this week. They’ll take on 4-seed Villanova on Friday in what will be Miami’s first trip to the second weekend since 1992. Tip times are TBD until the conclusion of the Round of 32.