No. 14 Indiana women’s basketball welcomed Purdue into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday for the second meeting between the in-state rivals this season. The cream and crimson dominated the Boilermakers while history was made by graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes.
The Hoosiers got out to a quick 4-0 lead with a pair of jumpers in the paint from Holmes and sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser.
Fifth-year senior guard Sara Scalia led the Hoosiers with 6 points after 10 minutes of play while senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil tacked on 5 alongside Holmes’ 4.
With the Hoosiers leading by 4 points entering the second quarter, sophomore guard Yarden Garzon hit a jumper in the paint before Moore-McNeil drained a 3-pointer to give Indiana a 9-point lead.
While the Hoosiers shot 46.7% from the field in the opening quarter, they improved to 52.9% in the second quarter behind a balanced scoring attack. Garzon, Moore-McNeil and Scalia each racked up 5 points in the second quarter while Bargesser scored 6 before Indiana entered the locker room with a 41-30 advantage.
The Hoosiers dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Boilermakers 31-16 behind 12 points from Moore-McNeil and 8 from Scalia.
Although it entered the fourth quarter trailing by 26, Purdue heated up in the early stages of the final quarter. The Boilermakers went on a 7-0 run before history was made.
Holmes, who set the program’s all-time scoring record with 5:15 remaining in the fourth quarter on a layup, finished the contest with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Moore-McNeil set her career-high in points with 22, going 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers outscored the Boilermakers 23-16 in the final quarter, cruising to a 95-62 victory to sweep the season series.
Indiana (20-3, 11-2 Big Ten) will return to action against Wisconsin at 8 p.m, Wednesday inside the Kohl Center in Madison, WI. The matchup will be streaming live 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.
