Indiana Women's Basketball Narrowly Escapes Illinois in Big Ten Opener
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It didn't look like it was going to be a close game in the first quarter when the Hoosiers built up a 10-point lead over Illinois, but you can never count out a Big Ten foe especially when the Fighting Illini are the nation's leader in three point percentage.
Still, Indiana continued its now 14-game winning streak over Illinois defeating the Fighting Illini 65-61 in the Hoosiers' Big Ten opener at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Illinois shoots an average 44.1 percent from downtown while the Hoosiers are in a three-way tie with UIC and Oklahoma State for 39th place shooting 36.4 percent.
Sunday, Illinois shot 37.5 from beyond the arc compared to Indiana's 29.4 percent as its shooters' shots just weren't falling.
"We certainly had to fight, claw and scratch just to get to the end and get to a victory," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. "They certainly hurt us on the boards. They required double coverage from us."
Moren said the Fighting Illini is the best defensive team the Hoosiers have seen so far as their defense out-rebounded Indiana 43-36.
Although it was a tougher game for Indiana, three Hoosiers scored in double figures led by senior guard Mackenzie Holmes' 23 points partnered with six rebounds and a season-high four blocks.
Junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil put up 13 points while fellow junior guard Sydney Parrish recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, her second of the season.
Moren said the team is still learning how to play without star guard Grace Berger, who went down with a right knee injury in the Las Vegas Invitational. Graduate student forward Alyssa Geary also sat the bench with an ankle injury and a brace extending from her thigh to her ankle. Moren said she tweaked it in practice Saturday and will be back soon.
Without Berger, Moore-McNeil has since been leading the offense.
"Becoming an upperclassman means a lot to me knowing when I step out I need to go hard and have some type of leadership for the younger ones that are coming up," Moore-McNeil said.
Illinois' offense was cooking from junior guard Makira Cook, who scored 33 points as the only Fighting Illini player to reach double scoring figures.
"She can score at three levels," Moren said. "She's obviously the quickest kid that we've probably faced in terms of being able to go off of that high ball screen the way she was."
In the first quarter, Holmes got things started with a layup off of freshman guard Yarden Garzon's assist. Soon after Moore-McNeil drove in for her own layup as part of the 4-0 run.
Indiana's Chloe Moore-McNeil (22) scores around Illinois' Kendall Bostic (44) during the first half of the Indiana versus Illinois women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022.
© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Illinois got on the board, but Moore-McNeil made sure to keep the gap wide, hitting a three pointer off of Parrish's steal and assist.
The Fighting Illini couldn't find momentum and entered a scoring drought for almost four minutes. Meanwhile freshman guard Henna Sandvik got fancy and swished a reverse layup as part of a Hoosiers' 7-0 run.
Moore-McNeil had the hot hand from beyond the arc capitalizing on another three before Indiana entered a scoring drought of its own off of three turnovers.
At the final second of the frame, Moore-McNeil hit a layup to put her into double-scoring figures early.
"It's hard in our system to be able to be the point guard of the Indiana women's basketball team because we run so much," Moren said. "For Chloe to be able to slide over and run this basketball team has been incredible."
Th second quarter displayed Illinois' accurate three-point shooting as the Fighting Illini pulled within five points. Holmes followed up with a jumper while Illinois tried to close the scoring gap.
With under five minutes in the half to play, Parrish hit a deep three-pointer, but poor Hoosier rebounding kept the game close at 34-22 as Illinois crashed the boards 21-12 in the first half.
Out of the break, Illinois tied it up within a minute and a half of the third and then hit a free throw for its first lead of the game.
Illinois maintained its lead for a few minutes until senior guard Sara Scalia got her first points of the game off a layup, and Garzon hit a triple to give the Hoosiers the advantage.
Indiana sent Illinois into nearly a six-minute scoring drought giving the Hoosiers an opportunity to make up for missed shots building on a seven-point lead, an Illinois timeout and a Hoosier 11-0 run.
An Illinois three-pointer then gave the Fighting Illini a two-point lead to open up the fourth quarter. Holmes later tied it up off her signature layup bringing all of the Hall to its feet.
"They're so important to the success that we've been able to have, and we certainly enjoy sharing it with them," Moren said. "They were once again offering enthusiasm and energy, and you can tell they were trying to will us."
Two scoring droughts with just over two minutes left to play and a tied scoreboard lit a fire under the Hoosiers. Parrish narrowly made a layup that danced around the rim for far too long. She was soon after fouled and made both freebies.
Holmes was spotted patting her teammates and delivering a message with so little time left.
"I was saying one stop," Holmes said. "I have full faith in our defense and what we do defensively, and I know that we're built for moments like these, and I just wanted to go up to them and remind them that we're good."
Holmes hit the layup for a one-point lead with 35 seconds left, and Parrish was soon after fouled as the cherry on top. She made one free throw, but it would be Scalia who closed the Hoosiers out off of a pair of charity stripe shots.
"People are going to come after us," Moren said. "They're going to bring their very best. We have to adjust, and we sort of have to embrace this."
Up next, Indiana will hit the road to play Penn State on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. ET ahead of another non-conference game at home in Morehead State on the 18th.
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