Mackenzie Holmes scored 20 points while Sydney Parrish notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as No. 2 Indiana defeated in-state rival Purdue 83-60 Sunday to claim at least a share of the Big Ten championship, its first conference title since 1983.
The team cut down the nets following the game in front of a sellout crowd of 17,222 in Bloomington, Ind.
“Just one of those moments where you sit back and you go, ‘that’s what it is supposed to look like,'” Hoosiers coach Teri Moren said following the victory.
Indiana (26-1, 16-1 Big Ten) has won 14 straight games and is undefeated in 2023. Its last defeat was at Michigan State, 83-78 on Dec. 29.
The Hoosiers surged out to a five-point lead early, but really took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Boilermakers (17-8, 8-7) 27-12 to take a 64-46 lead.
Grace Berger has 14 points and 10 assists and Chloe Moore-McNeil also scored 14 points for the Hoosiers, with fellow starter Yarden Garzon also finishing in double figures with 12 points.
“Just really proud of this group, they set out to do this so I’m not surprised,” Moren said. “This is one of their goals but they have other goals as well. This is sort of what their expectations were, and our staff is just here to help and cheer them on.
“At the end of the day, the players do the work, so I am really happy for not just this program, but also for those kids in the locker room.”
Under Moren, the Hoosiers have strung together eight straight seasons with at least 20 wins. She is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 198 victories.
Last year, Indiana finished 24-9 and 11-5 in the Big Ten and lost in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament against traditional heavyweight UConn after defeating Charlotte and Princeton in the first two rounds.
The Hoosiers can earn an outright Big Ten title with a victory at No. 7 Iowa (22-5, 14-2) in their regular-season finale on Feb. 26. Indiana defeated the Hawkeyes 87-78 on Feb. 9 in their first matchup of the season.
–Field Level Media
Darius Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly avoid an upset with a 132-126 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Cavaliers, who…
Sidney Crosby moved up in the NHL record book and Bryan Rust ignited a four-goal outburst in the first period as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Edmonton Oilers 5-3…
Jackson Shelstad made two free throws with seven seconds left to put No. 15 Oregon ahead for good as the Ducks defeated Ohio State 73-71 on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio….
NHL roundup: Sidney Crosby moves to ninth on points list
Top 25 roundup: No. 15 Oregon edges Ohio State in final seconds
Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. avoid arbitration with $28.5M deal
Eight Astros avoid arbitration; Framber Valdez lands reported $18M
Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM
