After a 25-point victory in January, IU women’s basketball one-upped itself with a 77-49 win over Wisconsin on the road Wednesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
IU won the tip to start the first quarter, but was unable to put early points on the board, going 0-3 from the field to start the game. The scoring drought from IU gave Wisconsin a quick 5-0 run, but IU was able to take a 8-7 lead after sophomore center Hannah Noveroske put back junior guard Grace Berger’s two missed layups.
The Hoosiers then went on a 7-0 run with the help from junior forward Aleksa Gulbe, who made the first 3-pointer of the game for her team after swift perimeter passing left her wide open. IU ended the first quarter with a 17-11 lead over Wisconsin.
Senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary started to take the spotlight in the second quarter after she sank a 3-pointer in the first minute of play and later stole the ball to finish it on the other end in a fast break layup, giving IU a 29-19 lead.
“We all did a very good job,” Cardaño-Hillary said after the game. “We were all in each other’s gaps, which helped, especially me, getting up and pressuring them. Knowing that my teammates had my back was really helpful as a mindset.”
With Gulbe benched in foul trouble toward the end of the half, the Hoosiers took advantage of a last second inbound pass to sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes who put in a buzzer-beating layup. Holmes took the spot as IU’s leading scorer at the half with 13 points and had a team-high four blocks.
“No doubt that she needed a game like this where she could see the ball go in,” Moren said about Holmes after she had a rough offensive game against Michigan last week.
The Badgers went into halftime down by 14 on their homecourt as the Hoosiers’ steady defense and 43% shooting from the field carried them to a 37-23 lead at the half.
Accompanying Gulbe, senior guard Ali Patberg landed on the bench after giving up her third foul. Before Gulbe earned her fourth foul shortly after, more fast ball movement from the Hoosiers gave her the opportunity for a fade away jumper, putting IU’s lead at 43-29.
Cardaño-Hillary added another 3-pointer with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter, giving IU a 56-35 lead. The Hoosiers went on to score 3 more points after a layup from Cardaño-Hillary and a free throw from Patberg, giving the Hoosiers a 59-37 lead by the end of the third quarter buzzer.
The Hoosiers ended the game attacking the glass with aggressive drives from both senior guard Keyanna Warthen and Cardaño-Hillary. Holmes was dominant on the board despite being double and triple teamed by the Badgers after she grabbed an offensive rebound, dribbled through three Wisconsin opponents and sank a layup, bringing the Hoosiers’ lead to 70-43.
Holmes explained after the game how she found her footing in dealing with defensive pressure later in the game.
“Just making sure I don’t panic when I get the ball, and see the double team come and be patient and look for the open person,” Holmes said. “They do a great job on the outside interchanging when I get the ball.”
IU’s reserve players closed out the 77-49 win with sophomore guard Chanel Wilson adding a steal and Noveroske totaling 5 points after making a layup. Holmes led the team with 23 and 9 rebounds while both Cardaño-Hillary and Patberg added 14 points.
“It's experience,” Moren said. “And it does not make any difference to me if we are in a game where we are winning by a large margin or it’s tied. It’s experience for all those kids.”
