CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mackenzie Holmes is not a well-adjusted loser.
Indiana has lost just 31 games throughout Holmes’ five years with the program. So while the graduate student has encountered defeat, it hasn’t been a frequent occurrence.
And after the Hoosiers dropped their fourth game of the season Monday, an 86-66 defeat at Illinois, Holmes made her feelings clear. She sat on the podium, and took a deep breath as she answered a question about her frustrations.
“I don’t take losing very well.”
As she continued, she became overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she exhibited forceful restraint to avoid breaking down mid-answer. But Holmes carried the sentiment in her voice as she spoke.
“Only have a few games left in the regular season, so we’ve just got to figure it out. That’s all there is to it. We’ve got to figure out how to come from behind. I’ve got to be better at protecting the rim.”
This was only a regular-season loss, in the middle of another largely successful season for Indiana women’s basketball. But Holmes’ postgame moment made this feel like something bigger. And it embodied the way she, her teammates, and her coaches felt throughout the afternoon.
IU kept pace with the Fighting Illini during the first quarter, but lost a six-point lead in the final three minutes of the period. Illinois guard Genesis Bryant blew by Sara Scalia to get a layup in the final seconds of the quarter, putting her team ahead.
The Hoosiers didn’t overreact to that play more than any other Fighting Illini bucket in the opening period, but that was as big a warning shot as an opponent could send. Scalia’s quickness has been a difference-maker for IU this season, on both ends of the floor. And for the most part, Illinois completely overpowered her — and the rest of IU’s guards — in that department.
That play set the stage for the decisive second quarter, when Illinois outscored Indiana 26-11. The Hoosiers’ offense became disjointed and flat, shots stopped falling, and they made more mistakes. And they provided very little resistance on the other end, as Illinois drove by them with relative ease.
“I don’t know why our second quarters sometimes, we come out and we’re flat. I have no idea,”I wish I knew. Because if I knew that in those previous games, what it exactly was, boy I’d be working like crazy to figure those out, what the solution is to that. It was a beyond poor second quarter for us.”
As the Illini’s second-quarter onslaught continued, the Hoosiers looked bewildered and frustrated. More and more IU hands went in the air, unsure what they’d done wrong. Holmes checked out near the end of the quarter and screamed in aggravation, clearly over various calls that went Illinois’ way and contributed to IU’s large deficit.
Indiana’s gripe with officiating only grew louder in the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, Holmes yelled for a three-second call in the middle of a play, as she guarded Illinois’ Camille Hobby in the post. The graduate student, instead, picked up her third foul.
Moren’s calm questioning of the referees turned into louder pleas and more passionate arguments. She’d chirp them as they ran by, saying things like “Call it both ways,” and “That was a foul.”
When the officials called a second foul on Yarden Garzon during the fourth quarter, Moren became incensed. She immediately demanded a referee come talk to her, as she repeatedly screamed, “That’s terrible! That’s awful!”
After an offensive foul on Lexus Bargesser during the fourth quarter, Moren had enough. The Hoosiers were down by 14 points with 1:23 remaining, but she still used a timeout to light into Brian Hall (one of the officials). Moren said, “What the hell was that,” and continued the chatter as Hall signaled the timeout to the scorer’s table.
Officials called 19 fouls against IU and 12 on Illinois, but some uncalled fouls and violations left the Hoosiers just as frustrated.
“I thought it was a very physical game. I felt like both teams were very physical,” Moren said after the game. “There were moment where I didn’t feel like we were maybe perhaps getting the whistle like I think we could’ve. And that’s all I’ll say.”
But Indiana’s irritation was born from its own play more than anything. The Hoosiers dug themselves too deep a hole to overcome.
And as the game spiraled away from them, they wore that disappointment on their faces.
Nobody was immune. Sydney Parrish appeared helpless watching on from the bench, after returning to limited game action but still not yet back to full strength. After Lilly Meister committed her third turnover via traveling, the sophomore looked completely exasperated. IU’s assistant coaches remained focused on their various in-game assignments, but in certain moments, clearly expressed disappointment with the team’s performance.
Indiana couldn’t afford to lose this game. Illinois has given the Hoosiers tough battles the last few years, and this goes down as a Quad 1 loss, but the Fighting Illini were 12-12 entering Monday. IU’s other three losses came against top-five teams — this Illinois team is several levels below that.
This result could cause real damage to IU’s hopes of earning a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the first two rounds in Bloomington. It adds even more importance to Thursday’s battle against No. 4 Iowa, and the Hoosiers may need some other teams around them to suffer similar slip-ups.
Moren will hope this gives her players a wake-up call heading towards the home stretch of the season. As Holmes’ postgame emotion displayed, she obviously understands her time at IU is winding down. This was a stark reminder of the way her last three seasons have ended: in defeat.
And Mackenzie Holmes doesn’t take that well.
“I’m not a good loser. That’s really all there is to it.”
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