Hoosier posts heart shooting 3s.
No. 14 Indiana women’s basketball picked up its tenth-straight victory over Wisconsin with a 68-54 win in Madison earlier last night.
The victory bumps the Hoosiers’ record to 21-3 on the year and keeps them squarely in the Big Ten title race at 12-2 in league play.
Here’s three things:
Magnetic Mack
Mackenzie Holmes, who became Indiana’s all-time leading scorer on Sunday, logged her 15th 20-point game of the season with 24 points off 11-19 (58%) shooting.
The graduate forward, who also led Indiana with eight rebounds, feasted when given space in the paint and was quick to move the ball whenever she drew additional defenders.
Holmes has been pulling in entire defenses for her entire career but we’re starting to see the Hoosiers attack this situation in a new way.
Instead of kicking it back out for a look or reset from the arc, Holmes is hitting cutting guards more and more as of late. Lexus Bargesser and Chloe Moore-McNeil especially.
The pair are so good at finding space as the defense rotates and each guard is experiencing an uptick in scoring thanks to 2-3 easy bunnies they get off this look each night.
They’re not a huge part of the offense, but the backdoor cuts are so dang pretty. Especially deadly on slower breaks, they add another layer to a seriously detailed scheme.
Oh yeah, Holmes hit another three yesterday. That’s two on the year!!
Scalia stands alone
Fifth-year guard Sara Scalia (15 pts, 4-8 3PT) became Indiana’s single-season record holder in 3-pointers made by hitting her 79th triple of the year in the third quarter.
#79!!!!! @sara_scalia14 pic.twitter.com/dhyyh7Qu8a
— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) February 15, 2024
The record-breaking bucket redeemed a forgettable quarter in which Indiana only made three baskets and struggled to pull away.
Wisconsin, led by an impressive 18-point, 14-board double-double from sophomore post Serah Williams, pulled within six with 3:08 left in the frame but Scalia’s make settled IU down. It was all Hoosiers from there.
Scalia, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (44.6%), has four regular season games plus whatever Indiana does in the postseason to pad her record. Given that the former Minnesota Golden Gopher averages 3.3 makes per game, triple digit triples is a real possibility.
Bench minutes
Scalia breaking Amanda Cahill’s record and Chloe Moore-McNeil (12pts, 4-4 3PT, 4reb, 5a) pitching yet another gem aside, this was a fairly sleepy game.
Indiana head coach Teri Moren took advantage by getting her bench some quality road minutes. Freshman guards Jules LaMendola and Lenée Beaumont got run throughout while sophomore forward Lilly Meister continued her sneaky good season in relief of Mackenzie Holmes.
Meister recorded five points and two rebounds in eight minutes and looked great while defending a formidable post player in Williams. She also capped the night off with her first career 3-pointer.
The Big Ten gauntlet is grueling and Indiana’s postseason success will largely depend on how much gas it has left. Getting this trio of young pieces reps whenever possible is crucial— they’ll be needed in a few weeks’ time.