A vigorous battle against No. 11 Michigan that included 17 lead changes came down to what head coach Teri Moren prides the IU program on the most — defense.
Clinging to a 2 point lead with under 40 seconds remaining, the Hoosiers needed one defensive stop to secure its toughest victory of the season.
The Wolverines delivered the ball to the conference’s second leading scorer Naz Hillmon in the post. Before she could dribble once, the lengthy arms of sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes jarred the ball loose and forced a turnover that all but finalized the crucial 70-65 IU win Thursday night.
After entering tonight 0-2 in games decided by 5 or fewer points, the Hoosiers finally gritted out a massive victory.
“The coaches kept telling us, ‘it’s winning time’,” senior guard Ali Patberg said.
The start of the game wasn’t as sweet for IU as the ending. Even with Hillmon sidelined with two quick fouls, Michigan out-toughed Indiana in the early going. They won the first quarter rebounding battle 14-4 and scored 10 points in the paint compared to the Hoosiers’ zero.
But IU responded with resilience like they have all season. Once it was clear that entry passes to Holmes inside were hard to come by, they audibled.
They turned to their guards, mainly Patberg, to become more aggressive instead. The sixth-year senior responded by hitting key 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers to keep pace with Michigan’s high-flying attack. She finished the first half with 17 of the Hoosiers’ 37 points.
“I loved how Patberg decided to, especially in the first half, be uber-aggressive at the rim,” Moren said. “And, obviously hit some threes as well.”
Patberg kept it competitive early on with her offense, but it was IU’s cohesive defense that led the way in the final 20 minutes. They forced Michigan into tougher shots, lowering their field goal percentage by almost 10% in the second half.
IU proved that they could take multiple blows from perhaps the most physical Big Ten team and fight back when it mattered most.
“This is an Indiana team that wasn’t willing to let their physicality overwhelm us,” Moren said.
Holmes was one of the toughest players on the court, especially late. After failing to consistently convert on offense throughout the game, she stayed determined to impact the game on the defensive end. Tasked with guarding Hillmon, she limited the 66% shooter to just 2-7 from the floor in the second half.
“Sometimes offensively it’s not your night and when you struggle from the field, you can’t allow that to impact how you can help us on the defensive end,” Moren said on Holmes.
The selfishness and determination Holmes showed specifically in the final minutes is the blueprint for an IU postseason run.
As the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments inch closer, the Hoosiers will face more physical teams that will test them with various schemes. Some will force the guards to hit outside shots, while others will make Holmes and junior forward Aleksa Gulbe validate their post presence.
Whatever the case may be, what cannot be diminished is defensive intensity. It won the game tonight against Michigan, and it will be the key to success in games down the road.
“It was a fun game,” Patberg said. “We just had to execute down the stretch offensively and defensively to win and we did.”
