Indiana Women's Basketball Resumes Big Ten Play With Michigan State Road Game

The Hoosiers return from an 8-day game break with a road matchup versus Michigan State on Thursday. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said it's always a little concerning coming back after a pause. Plus, leading scorer Mackenzie Holmes has never played at the Breslin Center before. How to watch is inside the story.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Indiana women's basketball will resume Big Ten play on the road against the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday.

Indiana is coming off an eight-day game break, four days of which were spent with the players' respective families and friends for the holidays. The Spartans also will be fresh off of a nine-day rest.

"We worry about it," Indiana coach Teri Moren said of the long break. "They've had four or five days off. It's a little bit hard to get them going, but I think once the game gets here (Thursday), I think they'll be ready to go."

The Spartans are led by graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel, who's averaging 14.1 points per game and has plenty of Big Ten experience as a first-team All-Big Ten selection while playing at Penn State.

The 5-foot-10 guard also spent two seasons at Baylor, including the 2020-21 season where she sat out due to an injury.

"They're good at home," Moren said. "They have new pieces. Kamaria McDaniel is a kid who's been in college now for six years. She's taken almost 30-plus more shots than the rest of them, so she's their go-to. She's going to hunt shots."

Another go-to player is sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh, who is right behind McDaniel averaging 11.5 points per game, and leads the starters shooting 90 percent from the free-throw line.

"Matilda Ekh is a terrific shooter from the outside, a kid that if you're not close to her and your hands aren't high, she's letting that thing go when she can shoot it at a really high clip," Moren said.

Moren added the Spartans' post play has gotten better and they have good balance with an inside and outside attack. Plus McDaniel is talented enough to go make plays on her own, she said.

As for the Hoosiers, senior forward Mackenzie Holmes leads the group averaging 19.9 points per game and crashes the boards with 7.1 rebounds.

"Fun fact for you guys," Moren said. "Mackenzie Holmes has never played at Michigan State. Can you believe that?"

Moren said Holmes likes to remind her of that in practice. Assistant Director of Strategic Communications Megan Kramper said it's because of all the COVID bumps and the way the series has gone only playing Michigan State once in the regular season the past few years. 

The Gorham, Maine native has never played at Breslin Center, and Moren is also a little concerned about some logistics heading into the matchup.

"You always worry about these breaks, especially if you're playing well," Moren said. "I don't know if we played terrific against Butler the way we probably should have and wanted to."

Indiana defeated the Bulldogs 67-50 before the long pause, although the Hoosiers totaled 16 turnovers compared to Butler's 14.

The group then broke for Christmas break on Dec. 22, and lots of players returned to Bloomington on Christmas day just because of flights. However, sophomore center Arielle Wisne has yet to touch down in Bloomington, having spent the holiday in Colorado. She's now having flight cancellation issues.

Still, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Poll and have five players averaging in double-scoring figures including senior guard Grace Berger who's still out with a right knee injury.

Moren said the Hoosiers divide their season into a non-conference, conference mindset meaning Season Two is here as the Hoosiers look to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten play and get some new momentum going.

How to Watch Indiana Vs. Michigan State

• Who: No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers (12-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) vs. Michigan State Spartans (8-5 overall, 0-2 in the Big Ten)
• When: Thursday, Dec. 29 2022, 3 p.m. ET
• Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich.
• Broadcast: B1G+
• Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM

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• INDIANA STAYS AT NO. 4 IN AP POLL Indiana women's basketball will stay at the same AP Poll rank for the fourth consecutive week, still chasing No. 3 Ohio State as the highest-ranked Big Ten team. The full list complete with records is inside the story. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIERS REMAIN UNDEFEATED BEATING BUTLER The No. 4 Indiana women's basketball team moved to 12-0 on the season with a 67-50 win over Butler on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mackenzie Holmes led the Hoosiers with 21 points, and coach Teri Moren was pleased with Lexus Bargesser's performance off the bench. CLICK HERE