BLOOMINGTON — Coming off its biggest disappointment of the season so far, Indiana women’s basketball needed a response on Wednesday.
And the Hoosiers delivered.
It wasn’t 40 minutes of smooth sailing at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but IU got the job done and came away with an 85-62 victory.
Indiana (15-2, 6-1 Big Ten) got strong offensive performances from several players in the win. But Mackenzie Holmes, in particular, set the tone. Minnesota (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten) just had no answers for the graduate student. The Gorham, Maine native completely dominated the inside battle against Minnesota’s post players.
Holmes led the Hoosiers by shooting 15 of 17 for a season-high 32 points. She added seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals. She also committed three turnovers, making this her eighth straight game with at least three.
IU led at halftime, 47-29. The Hoosiers broke the game open on a 19-2 run over a five-minute stretch in the second quarter. Indiana scored 1.343 points per possession in the first half, while holding Minnesota to 0.829. IU’s defense wasn’t always perfect in the first two quarters, but it really improved in the latter half of the second quarter.
The Hoosiers finished the game at 1.308 points per possession, while the Gophers recorded 0.925.
But Minnesota didn’t back down in the second half. IU’s offense cooled off a bit, and the Golden Gophers got to the foul line a few times for a boost on the other end. UM outscored the Hoosiers, 18-17, in the period. It continued into the fourth quarter, as Minnesota cut the deficit to as little as 12 points. But Indiana never let it fall back into single digits.
Sara Scalia broke out of a cold shooting stretch over the previous two games. Against her former team, the fifth-year senior caught fire from 3-point range in the second quarter, going 3 for 5. She scored 17 points in the first half, and ultimately finished the game with 22 on an 8-of-17 clip, including an 5-of-11 mark from beyond the arc.
Sydney Parrish scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game. The senior finished with 15 points on a 5-of-8 line — all on 3-point attempts.
Indiana is back in action on Sunday afternoon at Purdue.
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