No. 14 Indiana women’s basketball was back in action Tuesday in Evanston, Illinois, for its final road contest of the season to take on the Northwestern Wildcats.
The Hoosiers came away with an 84-64 victory, improving their record to 23-4 and 7-4 in true road games.
The Hoosiers provided numerous bright spots inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes led Indiana in scoring with 28 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Holmes also passed legendary Indiana men’s basketball guard Steve Alford for second place on the all-time Indiana basketball men’s and women’s scoring list.
Holmes’ total is now at 2,465 and counting. The only one in front of Holmes is not just the leading scorer in Hoosier history, but Big Ten men’s basketball history, current Hoosier assistant coach Calbert Cheaney, who totals 2,613 points.
“If they are going to have single coverage then (I) just try to make a quick move to get a score,” Holmes said postgame regarding the gameplan against the Northwestern defense. “We were prepared for them to be physical with us.”
Indiana also exploited the weak interior defense of the Wildcats, feasting inside for 46 points in the paint. That gave a good boost for Indiana’s field goal percentage on the night, finishing at 53%.
But a clear issue this season, which slightly improved in the emotional win Feb. 22 against No. 4 Iowa, is that Indiana is still having issues with quick guards that can get to the basket.
Northwestern junior guard Melannie Daley was a bright spot for the Wildcats on Thursday night. Daley finished the contest with 24 points on a stellar 66% shooting with 12 makes on 18 attempts — all attempts coming from inside the arc.
A handful of Daley’s successes came from stop-and-pop jumpers ranging from 15 to 18 feet away from the basket.
The glory that came from the Iowa win took the light off Indiana’s ability, or lack thereof, to mitigate scoring from one and two guards.
Daley’s performance Tuesday adds to a list of impressive guard performances against Indiana.
The notable performances include Feb. 4 in Columbus, Ohio, when Ohio State graduate student guard Jacy Sheldon dropped 25 points against Indiana in a monumental win for the Buckeyes, who have already clinched a share of the Big Ten title.
The next highlighted performance to get the best of the Hoosier defense was the Iowa supporting cast Jan. 13, when Iowa senior guards Molly Davis, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin combined for 40 points and eight 3-pointers.
The Hoosiers redeemed themselves defensively against the Hawkeyes on Feb. 22, but can it happen on a neutral court at the Big Ten Tournament?
That remains to be seen, but the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes could meet in the later stages of the tournament.
Michigan State junior guard DeeDee Hagemann had 18 points against Indiana in the Spartans’ 94-91 loss to the Hoosiers on Feb. 8 in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Hagemann had 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
And then finally, on Feb. 19, Illinois senior guards Makira Cook and Genesis Bryant combined for 37 points against Indiana.
If the Hoosiers could’ve won the matchup against the Fighting Illini, a win Sunday against Maryland would’ve clinched a share of the Big Ten title.
But now if Indiana defeats Maryland, they will need help from conference foes to clinch a share of the title.
The Hoosiers need Michigan to defeat Ohio State on Wednesday. They also need Iowa to defeat Ohio State on Sunday.
All four listed performances touch all the boxes of scoring offense. Daley and Hagemann from the mid-range, Cook, Bryant and Sheldon from inside and the Hawkeye guards from beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers can get back on the right track defensively against prolific scoring guards when junior guard Shyanne Sellers and Maryland come into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 3 p.m. Sunday for a Senior Day matinee.
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.
