No. 2 IU women’s basketball beats No. 12 Michigan for ninth ranked victory of the season

BLOOMINGTON — For the second straight game, Indiana women’s basketball made easy work of a top-15 opponent.

The second-ranked Hoosiers dismantled No. 12 Michigan, 68-52, on Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It’s IU’s 13th consecutive victory, now its longest winning streak of the season. Indiana (25-1, 15-1 Big Ten) now has nine wins over ranked teams, and seven over top-15 teams.

The Hoosiers were in firm control for most of the first half, though not as dominant as they were on Monday at Ohio State. IU led 22-17 at the end of the first quarter, and stretched it to 42-28 by halftime. IU leaned on its defense to blow the game open, holding Michigan to 0.778 points per possession in the first half.

Michigan (20-6, 10-5) scored 0.754 points per possession for the whole game, while IU finished at 0.986. The Wolverines committed many unforced errors, but many were also inflicted by Indiana’s defense. UM committed 21 turnovers on the night.

Mackenzie Holmes continued to play like one of the top forwards in the nation. She led the way for IU once again, shooting 11 of 22 for 27 points, with five rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. Her shooting percentage, remarkably, was a season-low. She moved into second in program history for career blocks, with 198, to pass Jill Chapman.

Chloe Moore-McNeil continued a solid offensive stretch, scoring in double figures for the third time in four games. The junior scored 13 points on a 5-of-7 line, along with four rebounds and three assists. She led the team with three steals on the other end.

Holmes and Moore-McNeil were also keys defensively, matching up against Michigan’s best players. Holmes held forward Emily Kiser (16 points per game) to 12 points, and Moore-McNeil (and others) limited Leigha Brown (17.9 ppg) to nine.

Grace Berger’s shot was off, as she went 2 for 10 for five points, but she dished a team-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds.

Indiana will face Purdue on Sunday for the Barn Burner Trophy at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, in IU’s last home game of the regular season. IU can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten championship with a victory. If Iowa loses at Nebraska on Saturday, the Hoosiers would clinch the outright title with a win over the Boilermakers.