Indiana’s defense smothered Minnesota in the first half, forcing turnovers on 47 percent of the Golden Gophers’ possessions before the break.
The No. 4 Hoosiers came into the game in Minneapolis as significant favorites, and the wave of miscues by the home team quickly put the game out of reach.
IU jumped out to a 20-6 lead after the first quarter, and extended that to a 41-20 edge at the break. 22 of the Hoosiers first half points came off 18 Golden Gopher turnovers. Minnesota coughed it up 11 more times in the second half and would never get closer than 12. IU coasted to a 77-54 win at Williams Arena.
“Defensively we did some good things,” IU coach Teri Moren said. “That is the one thing that always keeps us in games and wins us a lot of games and these guys know that.”
Mackenzie Holmes led Indiana (21-1, 11-1) with 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting. Sydney Parrish added 23 points and a team high eight rebounds. She was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 8-of-12 from the field overall.
Indiana committed 17 turnovers of their own, and that left Moren less than satisfied with her team’s offensive execution.
“We are happy to get the victory tonight, but collectively we feel that we didn’t play our best basketball,” she said. “17 turnovers is just way too many for this basketball team that really prides itself in taking care of the basketball. Obviously, Mack and Syd had big nights for us, on a night where our guard play struggled.”
In a homecoming game, IU guard Sara Scalia scored 10 points and added four rebounds and two assists. The Minnesota native played for the Golden Gophers for three seasons before transferring to Indiana.
For the game IU ended up with 30 points off of the 29 Minnesota turnovers. The Golden Gophers only made 33.9 percent of their shots from the field including just 23.1 percent from three.
NOTABLE
- Holmes has scored in double figures in all 22 games this season and has scored 20 or more points in the last six games. The Gorham, Maine native added four rebounds and two steals.
- Parrish scored 14 of her 23 points in the first half, nine of which came in the second quarter.
- A 21-point lead at the break was tied for its largest halftime lead of the season against a Big Ten foe.
- Grace Berger set a new season-high nine assists and pulled down five boards. Indiana had 21 assists on 31 made shots. It’s the 10th time it has had 20 or more assists in a game.
- IU shot 50 percent from the floor, the 15th time in a single game this season.
- Indiana extends its win streak in the all-time series over the Gophers, winning its sixth-straight dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Indiana will next travel to Purdue for a 2 p.m. tip on Sunday in West Lafayette. That game will air on FS1.
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