No. 14 Indiana Beats Maryland On Senior Day; Holmes, Meister Listed Day-to-Day With Injuries
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No. 14 Indiana women’s basketball trounced Maryland 71-54 Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to go unbeaten at home for the second straight regular season.
The Hoosiers also hit another milestone: They became just the fourth Big Ten women's basketball team in history to average 10,000 fans a game at home for a season.
Indiana needed at least 11,835 fans to attend Sunday's game to hit that milestone.
Indiana comfortably reached it, as 12,402 fans showed up to Assembly Hall. But despite the 15-0 record and the attendance mark, Senior Day was more bittersweet than usual. Forwards Lilly Meister and Mackenzie Holmes left the game with ankle and knee injuries, respectively.
“I just came from the locker room,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “Got to speak with our medical team. Both of them are going to be evaluated right now; day-to-day as far as where they’re at. But hopefully tomorrow they’ll both wake up feeling better … the evaluation is going to be ongoing right now … there’s some festivities right now with seniors and with Mack[enzie] especially. I think they’re allowing her some time with her family … before we know any more.”
With under two minutes left in the third quarter, Holmes hobbled on the court after her missed layup. She hunched down when she got to the Indiana bench and soon headed for the locker room. Late in the fourth quarter, Meister landed awkwardly after a layup attempt and was helped off the court and given medical attention. Holmes and Meister both were able to walk okay by game's end.
With a minute to play, Indiana backup forward and redshirt senior Arielle Wisne checked in to loud applause. She had played just 17 minutes this season, scoring two points. With 16 seconds to go, Wisne blocked a shot and the crowd roared louder.
“She's been so special,” Moren said. “She is the greatest teammate and I can't overstate it enough. And let's go back, even the block. How about the National Anthem that she crushed? That was a nice surprise … Her teammates didn't know that she was going to do that. She's such a beautiful person inside and out. To put her on the floor and have her do something positive like that was great. You can sense and tell the excitement from her teammates.”
Indiana started the game by building a 16-2 lead over the Terrapins. The Hoosiers hit their first six shots from the floor — which included two 3-pointers, as well as two and-one buckets.
Maryland responded with a 12-point run, but the Hoosiers were still up 15 points at the half. Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon finished with eight 3-pointers combined, and all five starters reached double figures. After the game, the seniors, Holmes, Scalia, and Wisne, narrated pre-recorded tribute videos. Scalia dedicated this season to her late grandfather.
"My grandma, my aunt have been to almost every home game, which is really special to me, and they give me a lot of strength," Scalia said. "They've been there for me through all the highs and the lows. So yeah, I dedicate this season to him. It's been you know, obviously tough without him, but definitely a source of strength to me."
Indiana is the guaranteed No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Related Stories on Indiana Women's Basketball
- ARIELLE WISNE SENIOR DAY VIDEO: Here's the full video of Arielle Wisne singing the national anthem before Indiana women's basketball's 71-54 win over Maryland on senior day, plus her postgame tribute video. CLICK HERE
- SARA SCALIA SENIOR DAY VIDEO: Here's the video of Sara Scalia's senior day tribute following Indiana women's basketball's 71-54 win over Maryland on Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
- MACKENZIE HOLMES SENIOR DAY VIDEO: Here's the full video of Mackenzie Holmes' senior day speech following Indiana women's basketball's 71-54 win over Maryland on Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
