On a somber Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Indiana women’s basketball defeated Northwood University 111-68.
Before the game started, Indiana held a moment of silence for former Indiana men’s basketball head coach Robert Montgomery “Bob” Knight. He was 83 years old at the time of his passing.
“We just want to send our condolences and our prayers to Karen (Knight's wife) and his family,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “It's just a sad day here in Bloomington for all of us.”
Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes gave a classic in-game performance, notching 28 points, seven rebounds and shot a perfect 14-for-14 from the field on the night. With Holmes in the paint for one-on-one matchups, this allows the Hoosiers to run a four-guard offense with no shortage of options for scoring opportunities from outside the perimeter to in the paint.
The 3-point shooting from the team was efficient as well. The team shot 11-for-22 against Northwood with senior guard Sara Scalia going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Other notables for 3-point shooting include senior guard Sydney Parrish and sophomore guard Yarden Garzon, who both went 2-for-2 from that range.
Senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil's development into becoming the main ballhandler for the team has looked sharp. Though her two points and three rebounds might not impress box score watchers, she facilitated 10 assists in a high-speed offense that allowed for fastbreak scoring opportunities.
There is room for the freshmen to grow after Wednesday's performance. Freshman guard Lenée Beaumont had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and shot 4-for-9 from the field. Her defense was a liability, as she had a plus-minus of –16 on the night.
Freshman guard Julianna LaMendola struggled on both sides of the ball. She had two points and two rebounds while going 1-for-6 from the field. On the defensive side, she had a plus-minus of –9 with five personal fouls against the Division II opponents.
“She’ll get better,” Moren said about LaMendola’s performance. “I’m hoping this is the beginning for her and Lenée. Tonight was a big night for them to play in front of Hoosier Nation.”
Indiana has its season opener at Assembly Hall against Eastern Illinois University at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Nov. 9.
