BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes poured in a game-high 21 points as the No. 4/3 Indiana women's basketball team beat Butler 67-50 Wednesday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the final non-conference game of the season.
KEY MOMENTS
Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes converted on the and-one opportunity early in the first quarter to give IU (12-0) its first lead of the ballgame
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon hit back-to-back threes before assisting on a bucket to Holmes, sparking an 8-2 run for the Hoosiers in the closing minutes of the first quarter.
Behind three-point baskets from Garzon and junior guard Sydney Parrish, IU opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run.
Following a Butler turnover, Parrish ran the fastbreak and converted a layup to give IU a 33-16 lead and force the Bulldogs into their second timeout of the half.
The Hoosiers took a 17-point lead into the break behind 17 first-half points from Holmes.
Out of a timeout in the third quarter, freshman guard Lexus Bargesser converted on a bucket at the rim and scored on the ensuing and-one attempt to push the lead to 46-31.
Senior guard Sara Scalia and Parrish hit back-to-back threes to give IU a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, its largest lead of the game.
NOTABLE
The Hoosiers' 12-0 start is the best under Head Coach Teri Moren and the best since 2013-14 with a 14-0 start.
IU leads the all-time series against Butler 9-1, winning each of the last five matchups.
Indiana shot 44.4%(25-of-54) from the field and 35% (7-of-20) from the 3-point line.
IU outrebounded Butler 38-26
The Hoosiers recorded 32 of their 67 points in the paint
The Hoosier defense forced 14 Butler turnovers and scored 15 points off the takeaways.
Indiana recorded 15 assists off 24 made field goals.
Indiana scored 12 points on fastbreaks.
The Hoosiers scored 11 points on second-chance opportunities.
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon had 13 points, along with 3 rebounds and three assists
Senior Mackenzie Holmes finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and tied her season high with 3 assists
Junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil recorded six points, four assists and tied her season high with seven rebounds
Junior guard Sydney Parrish had ten points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, along with four rebounds.
Senior guard Sara Scalia recorded nine points three rebounds and two assists
Freshman Lexus Bargesser finished with eight points, six rebounds and two assists
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
"Well, the games before Christmas break are always interesting. I thought we got off to a start that we wanted or anticipated. Way too many turnovers, the first half especially. Just careless. I thought at times we look hurried, and I am not sure why. Maybe we were in a hurry to get home and open presents, I don't know. None the less, I thought Lexus Bargesser, if I had to pick somebody, came in and did a great job today. Lexie came in and really took advantage of her minutes. Our assists were down, but the only bright spot was that we shot, we didn't shoot a lot of them, 92 percent from the free-throw line and we outrebounded Butler. Austin (Parkinson) is going to do a fantastic job at Butler. He did a great job at IUPUI, and we knew that they were playing without two of their starters. We knew, especially in the second half, that they weren't going to go away because that is not how Austin is made. He is going to make sure he gets the best out of his kids. We cautioned our players. The game is not over and again in the second half there were plays that were made and shots that were taken that didn't go down for us this afternoon. I am happy to get a win because it is so hard. I am happy that we can go home the next three or four days after a win. It is much easier to go home and celebrate Christmas after a win than it is a loss from experience. Trust me when I tell you that. I have been on both sides of it. Happy, we won! We are going to take a couple of days off and then resume when Big Ten play starts."
UP NEXT
Indiana breaks for the holidays and returns to Big Ten action on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Michigan State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at the Breslin Center.