WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 16 Indiana women’s basketball was back in action Sunday afternoon in West Lafyette, taking on in-state rival Purdue for the Barn Burner Trophy.
The Hoosiers’ guards stepped up without one of their leaders and escaped West Lafyette with a gritty 74-68 win.
Shortly before tip-off, senior forward Sydney Parrish was declared questionable and later ruled out due to a lower leg injury. Parrish watched the contest from the sideline in a boot and crutches.
Parrish has been very reliable on the offensive end for Indiana so far in Big Ten play, averaging 14.1 points per game in the seven conference games she has appeared in, all of which have been starts.
“Every team has adversity at some point,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said about the injury. “I thought all of those starters – Sara, Mack, Chloe, Yarden – really had to step up in her absence.”
Moren said the injury occurred Friday in practice and will be re-evaluated later this week.
Along with Parrish’s absence, graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes was held to 15 points, five from her 20-point average. Holmes was limited to 6 points on three attempts in the first half.
With Parrish out and Holmes contained, Indiana needed more from its guards – and the trio of senior Chloe Moore-McNeil, sophomore Yarden Garzon and fifth-year senior guard Sara Scalia rose to the occasion. The three guards combined for 31 of Indiana’s 39 first half and shot 10-22 from the floor including nine 3-pointers.
They continued this dominance in the second half and played a central role in Indiana, pulling out a rivalry victory.
Moore-McNeil has been the main force on defense this season for Indiana but can still take control of the game on offense. Moore-McNeil entered the game averaging 12 points per game in Big Ten play.
Sunday, Moore-McNeil was 7-of-14 from the floor, including a huge 3-pointer to beat the shot clock late in the fourth quarter in front of a standing, screaming crowd for three of her 20 points.
Moore-McNeil showed her experience and leadership, taking on the role of the best player on both sides of the ball for Indiana.
Garzon provided another big-time performance, overcoming recent struggles in a much-needed offensive return. Garzon entered Sunday averaging only 8.1 points so far this season in conference play.
The Ra’anana, Israel, native, found her old self in a big way, hitting four 3-pointers. Garzon finished with 17 points and four steals.
Garzon has not been herself on the offensive end, but she received a strong opportunity to get back on track with Parrish out – and capitalized.
Scalia continued the Indiana backcourt’s strong day, doing what she does best: hitting six 3-pointers en route to 20 points and three assists.
Scalia has been the Hoosiers’ 3-point specialist this season, now boasting 56 made 3-pointers. She entered the matchup shooting 43.1% from 3-point range and leads the team in both categories.
So, with the victory in the books, the question remains: how does Indiana keep its foot on the gas without Parrish, if she is out for the foreseeable future? It’s going to need more complementary 20-point performances, exactly like Sunday.
It hasn’t happened much this season, but this group of guards have performances like this in their arsenal – we just may not have been thinking about it due to Parrish’s domination.
Scalia and Garzon are both capable of 30-point performances, as Scalia scored 32 points Dec. 22 vs. Bowling Green and Garzon dropped 30 points Dec. 18 vs. Evansville.
Last season, the Hoosiers lost first team All-Big Ten guard Grace Berger to the WNBA draft, and questions arose about the depths of the guards. This performance shows that Indiana has the shooting and playmaking to compete at the highest level and make a deeper run in the NCAA tournament from last season’s early exit.
Scalia, Garzon and the rest of the Hoosiers will attempt to do so when they host the Northwestern Wildcats at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28.
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.
