Mackenzie Holmes Scores 29, Indiana Goes 17-0 At Home, Advances To Sweet 16

The Hoosiers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years by beating Oklahoma, 75-68, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (54) celebrates in the stands with fans after second round NCAA action at / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Assembly Hall didn’t want to simmer for Sara Scalia’s free throws. Not after an 8-0 run that propelled No. 4 Indiana women’s basketball to a four-point lead over No. 5 Oklahoma with 39 seconds left in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Scalia made both. Oklahoma called timeout. The senior gazed up to the sea of red and said, “C'mon.” 

Scalia, who normally doesn’t give fiery on-court reactions, said it calmly. Mackenzie Holmes, who is known for that, breathed sighs of relief with 64 seconds to go — after an Oklahoma turnover in the post kept Indiana up by two points. Following that play, Indiana sank seven free throws to seal the 75-68 win. The Hoosiers are Sweet 16-bound for the third time in four seasons. Last season, they were upset by Miami in the second round.

Two seasons ago, when Indiana beat No. 11 Princeton to go to the Sweet 16, Holmes sprinted to the mob of students in the Assembly Hall wooden bleachers. Monday evening, that is where Holmes sprinted to once more. She and Scalia –– who wasn’t with the Hoosiers for the Princeton win — led the charge. Up they trekked, and when they got there, they raised their arms up. They hugged. They went unbeaten 17-0 at home. Last season, they went 17-1. 

“Like coach said, this win goes to Grace [Berger] and what we weren't able to do for Grace last year,” Holmes said. “So, I'm really happy she was here tonight to be able to see that and I hope she knows how much that would means for us and to her. I know that she was up there smiling.” 

But Indiana had to battle. It really had to earn it for the whole 40 minutes. Oklahoma led 30-29 at halftime, and 48-46 going into the final quarter. It was an off-night for 3-point shooting, as both teams only made five in the first half. But the Sooners made up for that by owning the paint, getting 24 of their 30 first-half points from there. But Oklahoma didn’t have an answer on the defensive side in the post for Holmes, either. She led all scorers with 29 points, a new team record in the Tournament.

Holmes wasn’t perfect, though, shooting 4-for-11 from the field in the first half with some missed layups. That was on the list of many miscues for Indiana on both sides of the ball in the first half. The Hoosiers were killed by Oklahoma’s back cuts, and the Sooners were physical. In the first round, Holmes began the second half by scoring an and-1 bucket, as the Hoosiers ran away. Monday night, she scored another and-1 to kick off the third quarter. 

But Holmes picked up two fouls in 42 seconds and went to the bench at the seven-minute mark. And Oklahoma didn’t go away. With about under five minutes to go, Oklahoma’s 7-2 run gave the Sooners their biggest lead of the evening. Out of its timeout, Indiana countered and fought to bring it back within two. Chloe Moore-McNeil made two baskets. Holmes gave an emphatic block. Assembly Hall would’ve exploded had Scalia drained her 3-point attempt off an offensive rebound by Lilly Meister with 34 seconds to go in the third, which would’ve tied the game at 48. 

That could’ve been the knockout punch. Indiana fans pushed in those last five minutes. They pushed for another 10. Holmes gave them reason to. She scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the fourth, scoring six consecutive points to give Indiana the 66-64 lead. The Hoosiers posted zero — zero — second-half turnovers, while two by turnovers by Oklahoma in the last minute ended their comeback hopes.

Joining Holmes in hitting double figures were Sydney Parrish with 17 points and Scalia with 12. The Hoosiers' five starters each played at least 34 minutes, and they scored all but one of Indiana's points.

Yarden Garzon said postgame it was the best crowd she’s played in front of. 

“They help us out in the games,” Scalia said. “I've never seen a crowd like this before.”

Indiana plays No. 1 South Carolina Friday in Albany, N.Y., in the Sweet 16.