Indiana Women's Basketball Takes Down Western Michigan

Indiana shot just 39% from the field, but the Hoosiers' grit and spirit helped send No. 10-ranked Indiana to a 67-57 victory over Western Michigan. Indiana coach Teri Moren said she was disappointed in Indiana's defense, but was pleased with the effort of Kiandra Browne, the bright spot of the game.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A win is a win, Indiana coach Teri Moren said.

The Hoosiers earned a 67-57 victory over the Western Michigan Broncos on Sunday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but it wasn't without bumps. Moren said her team was "sluggish," and she wasn't pleased with their defensive play.

"I felt at times when I looked out there that we weren't moving, or it was kind of like we were moving in quicksand," Moren said.

Even when the Hoosiers (9-2, 2-0 in the Big Ten) have an "off" game, they're still the No. 10-ranked team in the country and can find ways to win. Moren said sophomore Kiandra Browne was a bright spot for Indiana, and she couldn't wait to go tell her that in the locker room.

"She's more conscious of what we need her to do, what her role is for us, and I think she's paying better attention, especially defensively," Moren said. "She's an energy player. She always has been."

Browne, a 6-foot-2 forward from Montreal, had nine points and went 7-for-10 from the line. She also had 10 rebounds, tying a career high. The Hoosiers outrebounded the Broncos, 47-29. Western Michigan is now 6-3 on the season.

Indiana junior Mackenzie Holmes totaled a career-high 19 rebounds, which ties for 10th in a single game in program history.

"It's all five of our jobs to rebound and box out, and it's great to have someone like Mackenzie to go and get 19 of them," Indiana senior Grace Berger said.

Holmes also led the Hoosiers in scoring for the sixth straight game, totaling 17 points. Berger had 16.

Berger started off slow in the first half, but credits her basketball maturity and four years of experience at Indiana to getting her game turned around, scoring 10 of her 16 points in the third quarter.

She is well-accustomed to perseverance, a reason why she plays at such a high level.

"As someone that has played in the Elite Eight, and this is my fourth year here, I think (perseverance) is something that I always try to model,'' Berger said. "I know that Mackenzie and Ali (Patberg) and Nikki (Cardaño-Hillary) and all the other guys that have been here try to model to the other kids, that if your shots aren't going in, you can still impact the game, whether that's cheering your teammates on from the bench or setting up teammates.

"If you keep that good juice going in other ways, I think your scoring will eventually come."

Cardaño-Hillary got things rolling with the first bucket after a steal, and she also had a first-half three-pointer, but it was the only long ball that Indiana hit in the first half in eight tries.

Western Michigan redshirt senior Reilly Jacobson presented the Hoosiers with some early problems as she went 2-for-2 from the field to tie up the score 4-4.

Browne snagged two offensive rebounds in the first quarter and totaled seven rebounds in the first half, giving the Hoosiers a boost.

"KB works extremely hard," Holmes said. "She's extremely aggressive and can rebound really well, and when we go against each other (in practice), I know what it's like to see her go to work down there."

Hoosiers led 19-14 after the first quarter 19-14, outrebounding the Broncos 12-6.

Berger made just 3-of-8 shots in the first half of the game but contributed with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Jacobson had 12 first-half points for the Broncos, but Indiana managed to hit its final three field goals of the half to grab a 33-27 halftime lead.

Coming out of the break, Holmes started it off with a layup within the first 20 seconds, and Berger did the rest. Berger scored on a layup to give the Hoosiers' a 10-point lead 937-27), and scored two other buckets in a 12-0 run, giving Indiana a 55-38 lead.

Indiana went four-plus minutes without a bucket to start the fourth quarter, but its  aggressive defense held the Broncos to more than a two-minute scoring drought as well.

The Broncos average 72.9 points per game, but this would be the sixth time this season the Hoosiers held an opponent below 60 points.

"Obviously, we thought we got good looks," Moren said. "I think we took some bad shots. Some of the shots they did take I was frustrated with. I just thought it was a bad choice."

Moren said she will have some teaching moments Monday with her team, and that's the great thing about film.

Up next, the Hoosiers stay at home to face Wright State on Tuesday (Dec. 21) in their second-to-last nonconference game of the season.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• INDIANA TO FACE WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Hoosiers haven't faced the Broncos since their victory in 1993. Hopeful for the same result over Western Michigan, Moren has some skills she'd like to sharpen up before beginning the last three-game, non-conference stretch of the season. CLICK HERE.
• MACKENZIE HOLMES NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Indiana junior forward Mackenzie Holmes earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the third time in her career on Monday. Indiana coach Teri Moren said Holmes will go down in history as one of the hardest workers she's ever had. Her 75.9 shooting percentage last week paired with her can-do attitude keeps leading her to Big Ten awards. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA STAYS AT NO. 10 IN AP POLL: Last week, the Hoosiers fell from No. 6 to No. 10 after falling to N.C. State 66-58 on Dec. 2. This time, they remain in the same, comfortable top 10 placement after defeating Ohio State 86-66 on Sunday. CLICK HERE.