College basketball is back, and so are the Hoosiers.
Indiana began its season at home, hosting Eastern Illinois. The Hoosiers, currently ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll, come into the season seeking redemption after being knocked out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Miami in March.
For only playing one exhibition game prior to the opener, Indiana looked as if it was in mid-season form. The Hoosiers started the game off scoring, and never looked back, running away with a 96-43 victory.
Mackenzie Holmes had full control of the first quarter, scoring or assisting on Indiana’s first five baskets. Throughout the game, it was nonstop dominance coming from Holmes, who took major advantage of Eastern Illinois’ small ball lineup. On the offensive side, Holmes was lights out inside the perimeter, shooting 9-for-10 for 19 points. Holmes used her aggressiveness to get to the rim, drawing shooting fouls on two occasions.
Indiana’s offense shined strongly throughout the game, shooting 65.2% from inside the perimeter. Holmes was immaculate in the paint while Yarden Garzon displayed her variety of skills, shooting from all over the hardwood.
“I feel great about it,” Garzon said of being able to score all over the court. “I’m trying to (get to the line more).”
Fifth-year senior Sara Scalia continued to drill shots from beyond the arc. Scalia shot 3-for-5 from 3-point land, totaling 13 points on the night.
Despite the loss of four-year guard Grace Berger to the NBA Draft, Indiana sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser stepped up all night to fill her shoes. Bargesser looks to take on a bigger role this season, after only averaging 7.8 minutes per game last season.
Bargesser caught loads of attention throughout the game with not one, but two buzzer-beater shots to end quarters. Bargesser ended the night with 15 points, two rebounds and three assists on 7-for-7 shooting.
Looking at the other team on the floor, Eastern Illinois saw a strong performance from junior forward, Miah Monahan. Monahan consistently found ways to score throughout the game against Indiana’s strong defense, shooting 6-for-13 with 13 points.
The rest of Eastern Illinois struggled to get into a groove on offense throughout the game. The team shot a combined 30.2% from inside the perimeter, while also shooting 20% from the 3-point area. Between all of the spotty shooting, and a total of 22 turnovers, this Eastern Illinois team fell behind early, and continued to fall even further behind as the game continued.
Staying on the side of struggles, Indiana struggled immensely at the line, shooting 18%, on 2-for-11 shooting. This was a major issue for the Hoosiers, something that head coach Teri Moren said needs to be addressed. Postgame, Moren mentioned that while her team congratulated her on her 400th victory, she was dissatisfied with the foul shooting.
“We will shoot 400 free throws tomorrow,” Moren said.
The Hoosiers will travel to California, as they look to correct their free-throw shooting by working out the kinks, and ultimately continue to win, as Indiana faces No. 15 Stanford on Sunday.
