Indiana women’s basketball picked up its 10th consecutive victory Sunday, rolling to a 69-46 win over in-state rival Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
Indiana (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten) pulled away by turning things up a notch defensively in the third quarter. The Hoosiers held Purdue (15-7, 6-6) to just two points in the entire period — the Boilermakers’ lowest-scoring quarter all year. Purdue shot 1 for 17 in the quarter with seven turnovers.
Purdue committed 18 turnovers across the whole game, and shot jus 33 percent from the field. Indiana’s offense wasn’t at its absolute best, but 1.015 points per possession proved enough with its defensive performance. IU shot 40 percent from the field and went 9 for 26 from 3-point range.
The Boilermakers keyed in on Mackenzie Holmes in the first half, double-teaming her and preventing entry passes however possible. That strategy was effective. But IU moved her around more in the second half, got her easier touches, and she instantly became more involved. And the senior finished at 15 points on a 6-for-7 clip with five rebounds and two blocks.
Chloe Moore-McNeil came up with a big first half while Holmes was quiet. The junior put up 13 points in the half with four rebounds and four steals. She got up to nine rebounds and five steals for the game.
Sydney Parrish (15 points) and Sara Scalia (14 points) also finished in double-digit scoring.
IU returns to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday to host Iowa in a battle for first place in the Big Ten.
