Hoosiers Now

Indiana Women's Basketball Shuts Down No. 2 Ohio State in Front of Record Breaking Home Crowd

Thursday night, No. 6 Indiana women's basketball beat No. 2 Ohio State 78-65 in front of a regular season record breaking home crowd of 10,455 fans for its sixth win over a ranked opponent this season.

Haley Jordan

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women's basketball knocked off the second best team in the country Ohio State 78-65 for a regular season record breaking home crowd of 10,455 fans to witness it.

"Hoosier Nation showed up in a big kind of way tonight, and we're so grateful," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. 

This victory marks the highest ranked win over an Associated Press Top 25 opponent since beating No. 2 Iowa in 1994. Now, the Hoosiers are the only  ranked team in the country with three AP Top 25 wins. Plus, their six wins over ranked opponents is the most in program history.

"This is a great win for us," senior forward Mackenzie Holmes said. "Ohio State's a very good basketball team. They're going to win a lot of games down the stretch, so it was really crucial we got this win tonight."

Four Hoosiers scored in double figures led by Holmes who posted 26 points as she's reached double-figure scoring every game this season and 84 times in her career. Freshman guard Yarden Garzon had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, her first of her career. 

"She stepped up to the challenge, and she made plays, and she knocked down shots, and I think it just shows her level of maturity is unlike anything I've ever seen from a freshman," Holmes said. "She has this knack for stepping up in big moments."

Ohio State entered the match forcing 22.8 turnovers per game, but the Hoosiers finished with just 12 after making some adjustments at the half. 

"The number one key to our scouting report was no live ball turnovers and take care of the ball against their press," Moren said. 

In the first quarter, Ohio State lit up the scoreboard first with a floater, but Garzon responded with a three in the next possession.

With just over six minutes left in the frame, Ohio State hit a triple for a four-point lead while Indiana missed four field goals.

Holmes got Indiana's offense rolling again with the and-1, but the Hoosiers would still find themselves behind by as much as six points before Holmes hit another layup with a minute and a half to go to bring Indiana within one.

Senior guard Grace Berger's steady ball control led to a smooth layup for a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter getting a crowded Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on its feet.

Two minutes into the second quarter, Garzon drew the foul for the and-1 play. She missed the freebie, but followed up with a fast break layup for Indiana's largest lead of the game so far.

"When someone hits a shot, everybody gets excited, and the crowd pushes us," Garzon said. 

Ohio State then gained momentum off 5-of-6 made shots for a six-point lead. Hoosier freshman forward Lilly Meister drew a foul with just over a minute to go and swished both shots from the charity stripe as one of two Hoosiers to make all of their free throws in the game.

"I've loved everything about her," Moren said. "She knows her role, and she stars in her role. She realizes she does not have to score a basket to impact this game. What she has to do is guard well on the low block."

Indiana finished the half trailing 36-32.

The Hoosiers opened up the second half still behind but made quick work to cut the Buckeyes' lead to one as Garzon found herself wide open for a three-pointer. 

Some possessions later, junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil drove in for a layup and drew the foul for the complete three-point play. Junior guard Sydney Parrish followed up with her first made three-pointer of the night for the Hoosiers' new largest lead.

With less than five minutes in the third frame, Garzon connected on her third triple and followed up again with another for an 11-point lead and a steadily increasing three-point percentage that was lacking in the first half.

"I think it's something that I've always had, that part of me to be competitive, especially in basketball," Garzon said. "I love to be on the court. I love to play for my teammates."

Garzon kept up with the hot hand as she stole the ball and hit the road down the court for a score. Parrish liked that idea and did the same thing in the very next possession throwing her hands in the air encouraging the fans to stand up, and they listened.

To end the third quarter, Holmes made a layup and drew the foul for a complete and-1 play and 26-3 run in seven minutes.

Whistles started blowing, but Indiana kept its composure as Berger took a chance from beyond the arc and capitalized despite lots of stoppage in the game. 

"We anticipated the press coming back out and being as aggressive or more aggressive because there was a deficit that they were trying to get back in the game, and so we really just challenged our kids to keep doing what they were doing and that was meet their passes and be strong," Moren said. 

Ohio State tried to claw its way back but Holmes drew another and-1 play shutting that effort down despite her missed free throw.

From there, it was all cream and crimson as Indiana and its fans celebrated another ranked win on its way to a 19-1 record. 

"I find it hard to believe that there's a better conference in the country than the Big Ten right now," Moren said. 

Up next, Indiana will welcome Rutgers to the Hall on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET before heading to Minnesota for another late game on Wednesday.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

  • INDIANA - OHIO STATE MATCH NOTES Thursday night, No. 6 Indiana will face No. 2 Ohio State inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in a great battle for the top spot in the Big Ten. Even without two of its key players, the Buckeyes are managing to win all their games but one and will arrive in Bloomington ready to avenge their two losses to the Hoosiers from last season. CLICK HERE
  • SARA SCALIA'S SHOOTING SLUMP IS GONE Indiana women's basketball senior guard Sara Scalia entered a bit of a scoring drought in late December, but with the encouragement of her Hoosiers, high basketball IQ and strong defensive game, Scalia snapped her slump with a 19-point performance versus No. 13 Michigan on Monday. CLICK HERE
  • HOOSIERS NEEDED LILLY MEISTER Freshman forward Lilly Meister took over for senior forward Mackenzie Holmes when she got into foul trouble in the fourth quarter versus Michigan on Monday. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said Meister did great, and the team needed her in that moment. 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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