Indiana Guard Grace Berger's Career-High Scoring Night Leads the Hoosiers to its 10th Conference Win of the Season

Indiana senior guard Grace Berger scored a career-high 29 points in Indiana's 76-58 victory over the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans were forced to foul and ended up with two technicals as well as two players on the cusp of fouling out.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana guard Grace Berger led the No. 7-ranked Hoosiers to  defeat the Michigan State Spartans 76-58 in Indiana's annual "Head to the Hall" game.

Berger totaled a career-high 29 points to help capture Indiana's tenth Big Ten win of the season. She has scored in double figures in 18 out of 21 games this season.

Four other Hoosiers also scored in double digits making it clear they understood the assignment of giving more scoring-wise without starting forward Mackenzie Holmes.

Holmes recently had surgery on her knee but was dressed on the sideline and even warmed up with the team. She didn't play but still continued to high five and support her team the entire game.

"We know one player's not going to replace one of the best players in the country in Mack," Berger said. "I don't think you see one person necessarily taking all Macks's shots for us. It's just all of us doing a little bit more."

Berger got the scoreboard started with a bucket out of the gate. Michigan State senior guard Nia Clouden hit a three-pointer to give the Spartans a 5-2 early lead.

Indiana entered a three-minute scoring drought until senior forward Aleksa Gulbe put down a three-pointer with just less than six minutes to go.

The Hoosiers entered a three-minute scoring drought until Gulbe put one down with just less than six minutes to go. 

"I think we were getting really good looks in the first half," graduate guard Ali Patberg said. "They just weren't falling. A big emphasis was getting stops and running, getting easy scores in transition to get us going."

Indiana defense continued to strike forcing the Spartans to use all the seconds on the shot clock before being pressured to shoot at the last second.

Sophomore guard Chloe Moore-McNeil shot a pair of free throws to tie it up 10-10, and Gulbe swished a three-pointer and one free throw for the last buckets of the quarter.

The second quarter was full of fouls including a technical on Michigan State head coach Suzy Merchant. Berger capitalized on the opportunity making both free throws. Indiana would finish the quarter with seven fouls in comparison to Michigan State's eight.

"Any time there's stoppage in plays like that whether or not it's technicals, whether it's reviewing plays, it's always hard," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. "It does take you out of rhythm."

Indiana had trouble from the field missing seven consecutive shots over a course of four and a half minutes. Indiana graduate student guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary made a three pointer to end the drought with more than three minutes to go.

Spartan freshman guard Deedee Hagemann made one from beyond the arc to bring her team within three points with less than a minute left in the half.

Off of Patberg's steal, Cardaño-Hillary scored a layup with one second left giving Indiana a 32-27 lead going into the half. She led the first half scoring with nine points.

The foul trouble continued in the third with a foul called on Indiana. Junior forward Taiyier Parks made both of her free throws, but not before a technical foul was called on her.

Berger made her way to the Hoosiers' side of the court and made her pair of free throws too.

"She was cookin' right?" Moren said. "I think we just tried to let grace be Grace. Grace is really high IQ. She always understands who's guarding her whether it's a post player, whether it's a guard. I didn't think they had an answer for her."

Sophomore forward Kiandra Browne left the game with under three minutes to go in jeopardy of foul trouble. Redshirt sophomore center Arielle Wisne traded off with junior guard Grace Waggoner to take over.

Two Spartan players, Matilda Ekh and Clouden, were also in danger of being fouled out but continued to roar on in the third.

Indiana built up a comfortable 62-41 lead as the clock expired.

In the fourth quarter, Moore McNeil made two back-to-back three-pointers that got the Hall loud and on its feet.

"She's one of the best shooters on our team," Berger said. "Every time it goes out of her hand, we think it's going in, so we're really confident in Chloe, but I think Chloe's also really confident in herself too."

Later in the fourth, Browne fouled out, and Michigan State sat its two players in foul trouble.

More than 5,000 fans packed the Hall to witness the best Big Ten women's team. Up next, Indiana will leave its fans and head to Nebraska to face the Cornhuskers on Feb. 14.

"We have the best fans in the country," Berger said. "We can tell you first hand. We've been to a lot of places. It's not like this everywhere."

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• INDIANA TO FACE MICHIGAN STATE AT HOME: Michigan State is fresh off of an upset win over No. 4-ranked Michigan on Thursday. Indiana is on a three-game winning streak of its own as it looks to make it four at the annual "Head to the Hall" matchup versus the Spartans on Saturday. CLICK HERE. 
• HOOSIERS RESCHEDULE TWO IOWA MATCHUPS: One game is rescheduled to fit in other rescheduled games, and the other game is to make up for Indiana postponing its matchup with Iowa earlier this season due to COVID-19 health and safety protocol. Read all the times and details of the new dates inside. CLICK HERE.
• ALI PATBERG LEADS HOOSIERS TO VICTORY OVER ILLINOIS: The No. 7-ranked Hoosiers cruise to a 93-61 victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday. Graduate student guard Ali Patberg scored her season-high 26 points and become Indiana's all-time ninth leading scorer in the process. CLICK HERE.