No. 16 Indiana Hosts Bowling Green Friday Night in Non-Conference Finale
No. 16 Indiana women’s basketball (9-1) easily handled Evansville Monday night, 109-56, as guard Yarden Garzon scored a career-high 30 points. Mackenzie Holmes, now averaging 19.7 points, added 22 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. On Friday night, the Hoosiers host Bowling Green (6-3) to conclude their non-conference slate. Indiana leads the all-time series 6-2 over the Falcons.
The Evansville blowout extended Indiana’s streak of non-conference home wins to 16, which likely will continue Friday. Bowling Green’s best win based on NET rankings was No. 82 Cleveland State in November. The Falcons played No. 4 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina in their past three games, scoring 60-plus points while allowing 90-plus. First-year Bowling Green head coach Fred Chmiel was on South Carolina’s staff as an assistant for the past eight seasons. The Gamecocks made the Final Four four times.
Bowling Green’s leading scorer is senior guard Lexi Fleming, with 16.7 points per game. Senior guard Morgan Sharps most recently scored 25 points off the bench versus top-ranked South Carolina. Sharps is shooting 20-for-40 from beyond the arc this season. She isn’t projected to start Friday night in Bloomington. The Falcons’ downside this season is 16.3 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 182 in the nation.
All five of Indiana’s starters scored in double figures when these teams met last season in Bloomington, which the Hoosiers won 96-61. In the Hoosiers’ win on Monday, the team shot 71.7% from the floor, the best this season among Division I teams. Indiana also shot 9-for-16 beyond the arc — the team’s best performance in that category this season — after making eight threes in 38 tries total in two prior games. Free throw shooting didn’t see as much improvement, though, as Indiana shot 24-for-34 (70%).
Indiana’s non-conference finale tips off at 6 p.m. ET Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The matchup will air on Big Ten Network. Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals for the Teddy Bear Toss at halftime. Donations benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington. Fans are also invited to bring non-perishable and hygiene items for the Hoosiers Hill Food Bank. Donation bins will be in the south lobby of Assembly Hall.
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- INDIANA BEATS EVANSVILLE, GARZON SCORES 30: Indiana trounced Evansville Monday night in the return to Assembly Hall. Sophomore Yarden Garzon scored 30 points, and three other starters reached double figure points. CLICK HERE
