Second Half Adjustment Leads No. 15 Indiana Past Penn State 90-65

Indiana had four of its five starters score in double figures as the Hoosiers completed the season sweep of Penn State. With the win, Indiana is now 12-4 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten.

Dylan Wallace | Feb 10, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's bench was on the edge of its seat as the ball was in Grace Berger's hand with a little under three minutes to go in the game.

The Hoosiers had a comfortable lead, up by 23, but Berger needed one more assist to polish off yet another triple-double performance.

Mackenzie Holmes set a screen for Berger, and as Berger came around it, Holmes sealed position down low and Berger dished her the ball for her 10th assist of the game. Indiana's bench exploded as the junior guard got the stat line of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

"I was aware she needed two more assists to get that triple-double," said Holmes, who scored on Berger's last two passes. "I knew she was going to make a great pass for me to get that easy score."

It's the third triple-double for Berger this season, which leads the NCAA.

"That's pretty special," Moren said. "Happy that we could make that happen for a kid that works her rear end off and is a high-level player."

As special as a moment it was for Berger to get that stat line, she also cares more about getting the win, which is what Indiana was able to do, completing the season sweep over Penn State, winning 90-65 on Wednesday in Assembly Hall.

But the final score wasn't as easy as it looked early on in the game. Penn State really took to Indiana in the first half. The Hoosiers executed well on the offensive end, but Indiana struggled defensively.

The Nittany Lions shot 50% from the field and 43% from behind the 3-point line in the first half, and there were a couple of instances where Indiana had a miscommunication on ball screens, which led to open shots.

"We just needed to be more interested defensively," Moren said.

Senior guard Ali Patberg came out aggressive in the first quarter, scoring seven points as the Hoosiers took a two-point lead after one.

In the second quarter, Indiana got Holmes involved. Holmes beat a few double teams, and one point, scored with four Nittany Lions around her. She took a team-high 10 points into half.

Berger also got going in the second quarter, putting up an impressive eight points, four rebounds and four assists in the first 20 minutes.

Indiana was also without Kiandra Browne, who is the Hoosiers' hustle player off the bench. Browne has been dealing with a hip injury the last couple of weeks, and it held her out of Wednesday's contest.

As a result, Moren went to her bench early and often. The Hoosiers got solid contributions from Grace Waggoner, Keyanna Warthen, Chloe Moore-McNeil, Danielle Patterson and Arielle Wisne off the bench in the first half.

But again, offense wasn't the issue for Indiana. Penn State took a 40-39 lead into halftime, and the Hoosiers needed to tighten things on the defensive end, and they did just that.

The Hoosiers opened the second half on a 12-0 run and held Penn State scoreless for nearly five minutes in the third quarter to gain a double-digit advantage.

"We pride ourselves on defense so anytime someone is shooting over 50 percent in the first half, we take that personally," Berger said. "Each of us taking it personally and not letting the man in front of us beat us to the basket."

Penn State started to make a run near the end of the quarter, but Indiana finished it strong. A three-pointer by Nicole Cardaño-Hillary gave the Hoosiers a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Indiana won the third quarter by 15 points.

The fourth quarter was much of the same for the Hoosiers. Four of the five starters scored in double figures for Indiana. Holmes led the way with 25 points, Berger had 17, Patberg had 16 and Aleksa Gulbe had 15.

"We really pride ourselves on assists," Holmes said. "We were really sharing the ball tonight. It's really special for us, and it's important."

With the win, Indiana is now 12-4 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will be back in action again on Sunday at Illinois.

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