CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Indiana women’s basketball has found itself in plenty of difficult situations throughout this season.
But few resembled what 14th-ranked IU found itself in on Monday at Illinois. The Hoosiers trailed at halftime by double digits for just the third time this year. They couldn’t overcome it at Stanford in November, and then turned it around for a huge win over Michigan State in early February.
This time turned out more like the Stanford game. Indiana left itself too big a deficit to make up in the second half, as the Fighting Illini pulled off the 86-66 upset.
The loss puts Indiana (21-4, 12-3 Big Ten) in a perilous position for postseason seeding. IU ranked No. 15 overall in the Division I women’s basketball committee’s top-16 midseason seed reveal. This loss could drop the Hoosiers out of that top 16, which would see them miss out on hosting NCAA Tournament games.
Illinois (13-12, 7-8) took control of the game in the second quarter. The Fighting Illini capitalized as Indiana completely fell apart on both ends of the court. The Hoosiers committed six turnovers in the period, which Illinois converted into 10 points. And Illinois’ quick guards caused all sorts of problems for IU, which allowed straight line drives to the basket with little resistance. The Illini shot 70.6 percent in the second quarter, alone; they went 60.6 from the field in the first half.
The Hoosiers came out of halftime emphasizing defense, but closed the gap by just two points in the third quarter.
Mackenzie Holmes led IU with 24 points on a 10-for-14 clip. Yarden Garzon shot 7 for 14 and 3 for 8 from 3-point range for 17 points, with eight rebounds and three assists. Sara Scalia chipped in 10 points on a 4-of-13 line, including a 2-f0r-8 mark from beyond the arc.
Sydney Parrish returned after missing Indiana’s last seven games with a foot injury. But the senior came off the bench for the first time this season, as sophomore Lexus Bargesser continue to start. Parrish saw limited action, with just six minutes. She didn’t score; Bargesser recorded six points, a team-high five assists, and two rebounds.
Indiana returns to Bloomington this week for its biggest home game of the season, a rematch with No. 4 Iowa on Thursday evening.
