Indiana returned to Assembly Hall for its Breast Cancer Awareness game to win 100-59 against Big Ten opponent Northwestern on Sunday.
After a week off, No. 16 Indiana took the court again to try to remain undefeated at home. At the start of the game, Indiana kept its high defensive standard. Indiana sophomore Lexus Bargesser stole the ball which led to Mackenzie Holmes’ first basket. Holmes scored Indiana’s first eight points.
This was Bargesser's second opportunity to start for the Hoosiers since Sydney Parrish’s injury before the Purdue matchup the week prior.
“She's going to gain more confidence and more games she started to play,” Holmes said, “and I think that's going to be great for us down the stretch, especially when Sydney does come back.”
The Hoosiers’ hot streak continued as they achieved a 12-0 run against Northwestern in a 3:01 time span midway through the first quarter to take a 14-2 lead. This highlighted the veterans but allowed Lenée Beaumont and Julianna LaMendola to receive early minutes on the floor.
Indiana stood firm on defense early on, as only three Northwestern players made field goals in the first quarter.
Indiana pulled away indefinitely with a score of 27-8 at the end of the first quarter, and by the half the game was in the Hoosiers' hands 50-24.
At the half Indiana was 13-for-13 from the line and shot 49% from the field. Holmes, Chloe Moore-McNeil, Yarden Garzon and Sara Scalia had all reached double figures.
In the second half the Hoosiers held their substantial scoring gap against the Wildcats pushing their lead even further. More-McNeil scored back-to-back buckets to start the half and Indiana went on a 12-2 run to start the half and build its lead to 36 points.
At this point, all the Indiana players had opportunities to earn minutes on the floor.
“I'd love to be able to play all these guys,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “In that there's no doubt that they're capable of being able to provide minutes and impact the game one way or the other. Whether it's offensively or defensively, I think as we go on with Wednesday, and then certainly into Saturday, we're gonna start to figure some things out as far as rotations.”
The Hoosiers kept Northwestern under 60 and outrebounded the Wildcats 43-23. With major improvement for numerous players on the Indiana team having six players earn double-digits overall, Indiana successfully defeated Northwestern 100-59.
All-American Mackenzie Holmes gets closer to history
Holmes shined for the Hoosiers yet again. The veteran displayed her strength by providing pivotal offense help throughout the game.
“I just want us to continue to stay confident every time, stepping up to the line is super important for us. It's something we work on every single day,” Holmes said. “So just knowing that you know trust in the work we've put in and stepping up every single time with confidence.”
Holmes scored 10 points in the first quarter to start a colossal lead for the Hoosiers. In the third quarter, Holmes reached her 10th 20-point game in the season, and at the end of the match, Holmes earned 27 points.
This game was also a chance for Holmes to get closer to Tyra Buss’s all-time scoring record 2,256 points. Holmes is only 64 points short of her record after the Northwestern game.
Newcomers make a statement
All supporting players got to make an appearance and play key minutes. Lilly Meister, Beaumont, LaMendola and Henna Sandvik made appearances and scored for Indiana. Meister scored 11 points and two players had a career high — Beaumont set her career high, scoring 11 points and playing 34 minutes total and LaMendola also had a career high, breaking seven points for Indiana.
“I think that those players knew that they had to step up. They played most of that fourth quarter,” Holmes said. “So, it was great to see them to be able to contribute but, we got outscored in that fourth quarter, which I think was a disappointment to all of us.”
What’s next
Indiana will face the road to play two Big Ten teams this week: Maryland on Wednesday and Ohio State this Sunday.
