No. 19 Indiana 'Shares the Sugar' in Win at Penn State

Indiana women's basketball had 24 assists and just two turnovers in its 85-64 win at Penn State.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ali Patberg gave a slight fist pump with a smile on her face when talking about one particular stat for Indiana in the team's 85-64 win at Penn State Thursday night.

The Hoosiers finished the game with 24 assists, but that wasn't the number Patberg was pleased about. Usually assists are looked at with turnovers, and Indiana only had two turnovers in Thursday's contest, which is the lowest margin in the Teri Moren era.

"I think it's especially important on the road," Grace Berger said.

It was Moren's biggest takeaway from the game.

"For me what stands out, the best part of the stat sheet and what stands out is that we had 24 assists and two turnovers," Moren said. "That is sharing the sugar and is taking care of it. I am very pleased with that."

Indiana was without Jaelynn Penn Thursday, who rolled her ankle Monday against Maryland. The Hoosiers got off to a good start against Penn State, taking a 9-2 lead, but then Indiana allowed a 10-0 run to relinquish the lead.

By the end of the first quarter, Indiana had a 19-16 advantage.

The Nittany Lions stayed close the entire first half as Indiana took a 33-30 lead into halftime. Moren was frustrated with a few mistakes Patberg made at the end of the second quarter.

"I'd be fibbing to you if I told you I didn't get into her a little bit at halftime," Moren said.

But Patberg responded in the second half, playing much more aggressive and helping Indiana extend its lead into double digits.

Patberg finished the game with 24 points and six assists.

"I was focused on playing like I know how," Patberg said. "Just played free and not hesitating. When we're moving the ball and we're all aggressive, it's fun to play."

But Patberg's 24 points didn't lead the Hoosiers in scoring. That honor went to Mackenzie Holmes, who efficiently scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting.

Holmes loves to rim run, and she was beating Penn State defenders down the court the entire game, allowing her to get some easy baskets.

"Our game plan going into every game is to look inside," Patberg said. "We believe we have a strong presence both inside and out."

Then there was Berger. Coming off a career-high 26 points against Maryland, Berger wasn't scoring early in the game, but she was doing everything else.

In the fourth quarter, Berger started to put the ball in the basket, and she was stuffing the stat sheet. For the second time this season, Berger finished with a triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Berger is the only player in the country so far to have two triple-doubles this season.

"I always come into the game trying to make plays for my teammates," Berger said.

With no Penn on the floor, the major contributions from Patberg, Berger and Holmes were much-needed.

Moren said it was important to get those three players going, especially after a Maryland game in which everyone struggled except Berger.

With the win, Indiana improved to 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in the Big Ten.

After a long road trip on the East Coast, Indiana will return home to take on Wisconsin at 4 p.m. ET.

“It was a good win for us especially coming off a disappointing Monday night against Maryland," Moren said. "I asked our girls, anytime this happens, that we have some bounce back ability in us."