Hoosiers Now

No. 8 Indiana Women Celebrates Past With Huge Victory over No. 13 Kentucky

By design, Indiana coach Teri Moren wanted a challenging schedule for her team during the non-conference slate. The Hoosiers passed their first test with a convincing 88-67 victory over No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday. Mackenzie Holmes led the Hoosiers with 29 points.

Haley Jordan

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's women's basketball team celebrated its past and present on Sunday. The program, 50 years in the making, made the day special by defeating No. 13-ranked Kentucky, 88-67.

It was coach Teri Moren's 150th win at Indiana, and it was the most points the Hoosiers have ever scored against a top-15 team.

Thirty Indiana women's basketball alumnae attended the game for an eyewitness account of the program they all helped create, which reached the Elite Eight a year ago and is ranked No. 8 in the country this season.

Thirty Indiana women's basketball alumnae attend Indiana's home opener versus Kentucky in celebration of 50 years of Indiana women's basketball history / IU Athletics

IU Athletics

"It started somewhere, right?" Moren said. "Our job is just to take the torch and continue to build this program and ultimately just make them proud of the product we're putting on the floor. They are as competitive, no matter what year they graduated."

Junior forward Mackenzie Holmes scored a career-high 29 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to lead the Hoosiers over Kentucky. She was one of four players in double figures. Grace Berger scored 19 points, Ali Patberg had 16 and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary added 12.

It took Indiana a bit to get rolling, but it was Holmes who took control, scoring the Hoosiers' first 11 points. Then she got plenty of help from there.

"I think what's special about our team is I don't need to have 20 points a night," Holmes said. "We have so many great players that anybody at any given night can go for 20 or 30."

Kentucky stayed close through the second quarter, with Kentucky's Jada Walker making 4-of-5 shots, but Indiana's Ali Patberg's no-look pass to Aleksa Gulbe under the basket for two got the crowd excited.

To add a bit more cushion to the Hoosiers' side of the scoreboard, Berger hit a bank shot buzzer beater tallying 12 points in the first half after originally starting out 0-for-7.

"I put in the work," Berger said. "My teammates believe in me. My coaches believe in me. I can miss 10 shots, and I just always think the next one's going in. Obviously, you never want to go 0-for-7, but you know, I thought I was taking good shots, getting good looks."

Indiana used a 7-0 run in the third quarter to go up nine at 55-46.

Nicole Cardaño-Hillary hit a three-pointer to put Indiana ahead by 11. She tallied 12 points just in the second half and added 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

"You have to have someone like Nicky who always has her head up and wants to pass that thing ahead," Moren said. "She had some really easy buckets tonight that Mac benefitted off. That's what I expect from those guys."

Kentucky was forced to foul in the fourth quarter, and the Hoosiers capitalized, going  18-for-21 from the line for the game.

Even with a win this big, Moren remained humble and said it's nice to have the national attention, but the team will still take the season game-by-game.

"The Big Ten has always prepared us for games like this," Moren said.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

  • INDIANA GETS FIRST TEST VERSUS KENTUCKY: Teri Moren doesn't go for simple. She said she prepares a difficult schedule on purpose to prepare her team for competitive Big Ten games and of course, another NCAA tournament run. CLICK HERE.
  • INDIANA GETS ROAD WIN AT BUTLER: The Hoosiers, met with plenty of fans in cream and crimson, brought home its first win of the season with Nicole Cardaño-Hillary leading the pack scoring 29 points. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA TIPS OFF REGULAR SEASON AT BUTLER: Last season, the Indiana-Butler game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, coach Teri Moren starts off her season with a road game for the first time in her tenure down the road at Hinkle Fieldhouse. CLICK HERE.
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Haley Jordan
HALEY JORDAN

Haley Jordan is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation video director, staff writer, host and reporter for Hoosiers Now, Fastball and Fastbreak sites. She is a graduate from Indiana University with degrees in Sports Broadcast Journalism and Spanish.

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