The Indiana women’s basketball squad beat Minnesota 75-69 Saturday in an important win for the Hoosiers. After a disheartening loss at home to Ohio State, Indiana used this opportunity for an important get-right game with postseason play inching closer.
In their contest against Minnesota earlier this season, the Hoosiers came out on top after a dominant performance from Grace Berger. She took over the game going 10-for-13 from the floor and dropping 25 points while grabbing 11 boards to propel the Hoosiers to victory.
Saturday, Berger was at it again. The sophomore scored 18 and grabbed a team-high nine boards along with five assists. Berger led the team in both those categories, along with steals, and played all but five minutes.
But Saturday, the story was all Ali Patberg. She dropped a game-high 29 points and dished out four assists. She was all over the floor, draining 12 shots on 22 attempts.
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— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) February 22, 2020
Brenna Wise also put in a solid night, adding eight points and shooting 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. In Indiana’s disappointing loss to Ohio State, Wise shot 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
On offense, every Hoosier was hot, as the team shot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from deep. Indiana was also able to dominate on the glass, out-rebounding the Gophers 42-29.
Although Indiana held the lead for most of the game, Minnesota continued to fight back, and led as late as the fourth quarter. The paint ended up being the difference, with Indiana firmly winning the battle of points in the paint, 36-20.
The Hoosiers' next contest will be a test against a Nebraska team that IU beat already this season, 57-53 on Feb. 9 in Lincoln. At home, Indiana will be favored, but tested against a 17-11 Huskers squad.
Following Nebraska, the Hoosiers will wrap up the regular season in Ann Arbor against Michigan. Finishing the season with three important wins will be crucial if Indiana wants to lock down a No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which would provide an extra day of preparation, as well as being crucial to stay in the conversation of obtaining a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Nebraska game will take place in Assembly Hall at 6 p.m. next Thursday and can be viewed on BTN or listened to on WHCC 105.1.
