Four days removed from a 87-54 loss against No. 2 Iowa, Indiana women’s basketball (15-2, 6-1 Big Ten) bounced back with an 85-63 win over Minnesota (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten) Wednesday night.
The Hoosiers scored the ball efficiently, shooting 58.9% from the field. Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes and fifth-year guard Sara Scalia headlined the performance with a combined 54 points.
Indiana’s two losses this season coincided with poor field goal percentages, including a season low 34.9% in a Nov. 12 blowout loss at Stanford. Saturday night’s fall to Iowa wasn't much better for the Hoosiers who shot 5-for-20 from beyond the arc while the Hawkeyes went 15-for-36.
“We all just took it personally,” Holmes said about the loss. “We hate losing more than we like to win.”
As painful as the Iowa loss was for Indiana, it may have provided a harsh wake up call, one which was answered against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were no match for an Indiana offensive attack clicking on all cylinders.
The Hoosier All-American Mackenzie Holmes
It all started with the play of the AP Preseason All-American. Sitting only behind Iowa senior guard Caitlin Clark, Holmes entered Wednesday night’s game second in the Big Ten with 19.5 points per game. Additionally, the fourth-year Hoosier is ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 65.1% on the season.
Against Minnesota, Holmes was nearly flawless with a 15-for-17 performance from the field. Possession after possession, she won position in the post and took her defender to the rim for the finish. Holmes’ ability to win one-on-one contests in the paint is the bread and butter of an Indiana team whose identity has become post-centric. That identity was showcased against Minnesota, even with the Golden Gophers’ 6’5” junior center defending Holmes.
“That was a tough matchup,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “But Mack worked hard to find ways to score the ball for us.”
The Hoosiers are 12-0 when shooting 45% or better from the field, but only 3-2 when they fail to reach that mark. While it's true Indiana’s offense flows through Holmes, in large part the team’s efficiency stems from the play of a strong supporting cast on the perimeter.
Perimeter Play
It’s difficult to highlight a clear No. 2 option on the Hoosiers’ offensive attack —not because there aren’t capable scorers but rather because any Indiana starter can produce a high-scoring games on any given night.
Scalia may be the Hoosiers’ best pure shooter, as she currently sits second in the conference in 3-point percentage at a 42.9% rate. The Minnesota transfer shot 5-for-11 from the 3-point line in a 22-point performance against her former team.
“We have so much confidence in her to be able to come in and shoot the ball,” Moren said. “It was great to see a couple of those go in tonight.”
Aside from Scalia, senior guards Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil have had quality outings offensively. Parrish has logged five 15+ point games this season, including a 20-point showing against Nebraska where she went 6-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Moore-McNeil has been a much-improved scorer as of late since Moren urged her to be more aggressive earlier in the season. Indiana's leader in assists and steals has scored 16-plus points in three of her past six games and has become another threat for the Hoosiers on that end of the floor.
With Scalia, Parrish and Moore-McNeil all capable of scoring, opponents have been forced to leave Holmes one-on-one in the post in fear of leaving the 3-point shot open.
That was the case with Minnesota, and Holmes finished the game with 32 points.
On deck for the Hoosiers is a trip to West Lafayette as Indiana visits Purdue with hopes of retaining the Barn Burner Trophy. The Hoosiers have won their past nine games against the Boilermakers dating back to 2018.
Indiana’s much anticipated in-state rivalry game will tip-off at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and will be televised on Peacock.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa), columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) and photographer Olivia Bianco (@theoliviabianco) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
