BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Mackenzie Holmes scored 29 points and Yarden Garzon added 19 to help No. 6 Indiana run to a 93-56 win over Wisconsin on Sunday.
Indiana (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten) shot 55% from the field, including 8-for-20 from beyond the arc, while its defense held Wisconsin (6-12, 2-5) to 35% shooting.
The Badgers had no answers for Holmes, who shot 11-for-15 from the field in her 26 minutes. Holmes was part of the Hoosiers’ 50 to 30 advantage in points in the paint.
“She’s very difficult for opposing teams,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “If they don’t bring a double, she’s kind of slippery in the sense that she can figure out a way to spin off you and get to the shot.”
Garzon provided the other piece to Indiana’s puzzle, making 4 of her 5 shots from beyond the arc. She added nine rebounds and seven assists.
Indiana started hot, scoring 20 points in the first five minutes of the game, including Garzon scoring the game’s first seven points and Holmes scoring 10 of the next 13.
“My teammates did a great job of finding me in the post when I was open,” Holmes said. “When you have someone that can shoot 4-for-5 from three night in and night out, it spaces the floor out for us.”
Wisconsin was led by Brooke Schramek’s 13 points and Serah Williams’ 10.
The Hoosiers cooled off late in the first quarter, making just one of their next 11 shots after starting the game 8-for-9. The drought allowed the Badgers to climb back in and cut the lead down to four, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Wisconsin never led, and the game was tied for 49 total seconds.
Indiana had two runs of 11 or more points in the first half alone and closed out the half on a 19-2 run. The runs helped Indiana extend the game into blowout territory by the end of the third quarter, and the Hoosiers emptied their bench with over six minutes remaining.
“It feels good to win in the manner that we did today,” Moren said. “We’ve been in a lot of tight games and it was great we got to play some of those kids off the bench. For the most part, there’s very little to be unhappy with.”
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: The Badgers were outmatched by Indiana’s defense and turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 31 Indiana points.
Indiana: The Hoosiers showed no fatigue just four days after beating No. 9 Maryland, a good sign for a team that faces three ranked opponents in eight days starting next week.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Garzon, a freshman from Ra’anana, Israel, had a simple reason for her successful shooting night: “My mom was here.”
It was the first time Garzon’s family had seen her play at Indiana, and Garzon said Sunday was the first time they’d seen her play at all since August.
PACKED HALL
Indiana announced an official attendance of 10,422 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for Sunday’s game, a record regular-season crowd for an Indiana women’s basketball game. It was the second-highest total in program history to the WNIT Championship game in 2018.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Returns home for a second straight ranked matchup against No. 9 Maryland.
Indiana: Faces Illinois, the first of three-straight ranked opponents, in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
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