No. 16 Indiana Tops Eastern Kentucky in First Game of Season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It all happened at once.
With 17 points in the third quarter, Grace Berger needed just one more assist and one more rebound to create history.
After an Eastern Kentucky missed shot, Berger snatched down the rebound, giving her 10 on the day. Then, as she led the fast break, she found Mackenzie Holmes running the floor for an and-one basket.
That marked Berger's 10th assist, giving her the first triple-double in program history.
Berger only played three quarters, and that's all she needed to make history, finishing with a 17-10-10 stat line.
"I think, I don't think, I know Grace Berger is one of the best guards in the country," head coach Teri Moren said after the game. "There's a lot to her game."
It was a dominating performance for Berger and the Hoosiers as they defeated Eastern Kentucky 100-51 to win their season-opener.
Head coach Teri Moren believes she has one of the most passionate benches in college basketball.
In a season like this one, where cardboard cutouts replace the typical screaming Hoosier fans, it's all about creating your own energy.
Like in the second quarter of Indiana's season-opener, when Berger took a charge, and the whole Hoosier bench rose to its feet and screamed with enthusiasm.
That's the type of energy needed this season, and it was on display Wednesday afternoon in Assembly Hall as the No. 16-ranked Hoosiers rolled to victory.
The Hoosiers got off to a fast start, running out in transition to a big lead.
Indiana led 34-8 at the end of the first quarter, led by Holmes, who was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with 14 points.
The Hoosiers got off to a bit of a slow start in the second quarter, but their defense was still able to stifle the Colonels' offense, holding them to just 22% shooting in the first half.
Indiana took a commanding 53-22 lead at the half, with Holmes (16 points), Ali Patberg (14) and Berger (13) all leading the way in double digits.
With a made free throw in the second quarter, Patberg scored her 1,000th career point at Indiana. She became the 28th player in program history to reach that milestone.
The third quarter was all about Berger as she obtained the triple-double, and the fourth quarter was about some of Indiana's newcomers seeing their first taste of action.
Players such as Arielle Wisne, who got her first career points in the final quarter, scoring two baskets. Or like Danielle Patterson, who recovered from a knee injury all of last season, getting all the way up to 14 points in her Indiana debut.
It was an overall strong performance from Indiana, who will get over a week off until its next game, which is Dec. 3 in Assembly Hall against Samford.
Below is the full stat line for the Indiana players.
