BLOOMINGTON — Indiana women’s basketball’s game against Penn State was a classic trap game, by any definition.
The Hoosiers rode a 12-game winning streak into Wednesday’s matchup at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and they were coming off lopsided wins over Michigan and Nebraska. But the Lady Lions came to Bloomington as IU’s last game before a showdown at No. 3 Iowa on Saturday, and they put pressure on the 14th-ranked Hoosiers.
IU had to battle back, but ultimately made enough plays to win the game. The Hoosiers came out with a 75-67 victory, their 13th consecutive win.
Indiana (14-1, 5-0 Big Ten) (recent streak of hot shooting came to an end. IU, as a team, shot 42 percent from the field, its first time in five games finishing under 50 percent. The Hoosiers also shot just 29 percent from 3-point range, also its lowest mark in five games. They finished with a season-high 20 turnovers as well.
Penn State (10-5, 1-3) led at halftime, 39-34. IU went just 2 for 8 from 3-point range in the opening half and struggled with a PSU defense that created chaos. The Lady Lions led by as much as nine points in the third quarter, but Indiana immediately responded and closed the period on a 13-5 run to re-establish a lead.
Sydney Parrish came through for Indiana in the second half, in a big way. She scored nine points in the third quarter, when the Hoosiers couldn’t get much else going; she put up six in the fourth quarter, and came up with some really important plays on both ends. For the game, the senior shot 5 for 9 from the field, and 8 for 10 at the free-throw line, for 20 points, along with six rebounds, two assists, one turnover, a block, and three steals.
Mackenzie Holmes finished in double-figure scoring for the 13th game in a row, with a team-high 21 points on a 10-for-16 clip. She also grabbed 13 rebounds, for her fourth double-double of the season. She also continued her turnover struggles, as this was her sixth consecutive game with three or more turnovers. Entering this game, Holmes averaged 2.6 turnovers per game, the highest mark of her career.
Chloe Moore-McNeil posted her sixth double-digit scoring game of the season as well. The senior went 5 for 15 from the field, but 6 for 8 at the free-throw line, for 16 points. The typically steady point guard also set a career high with six turnovers, with four assists. Moore-McNeil went to the IU locker room at the beginning of the fourth quarter; she came back into the game with her left ankle wrapped, but appeared to be playing through some discomfort.
Sara Scalia chipped in 11 points on a 2-for-9 line, with a 6-for-8 mark at the foul line. The sharpshooter went just 1 for 5 from 3-point range.
The Hoosiers travel to Iowa City over the weekend for the big game against the Hawkeyes on Saturday night.
