No. 12 Indiana WBB Rolls Past Illini, 83-42
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Behind three in double figures, No. 12 Indiana cruised to a victory over Illinois, 83-42, on Monday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten play.
KEY MOMENTS
- Following a slow first few minutes, No. 12 Indiana (13-2, 3-0) began the contest with a 22-8 run in the first quarter of play. Punctuated by seven points from redshirt junior guard Ali Patberg and six points from sophomore forward Aleksa Gulbe.
- Patberg would knock down the first Hoosier three-pointer just before the first media timeout at the 4:35 minute mark.
- A second chance layup by freshman forward Mackenzie Holmes under the basket triggered a Fighting Illini timeout at the 5:32 minute mark in the second quarter. The Hoosiers grew their lead to 24 points over the course of the first half taking a 43-19 lead into halftime. Patberg capped off her 13-point first half performance with a layup as the clock expired.
- Indiana opened the third quarter with five answered points eventually giving way to a 22-10 run by the Hoosiers. Patberg’s third three ball of the night triggered an Illinois (9-5, 0-3 B1G) timeout at the 8:44 minute mark.
- She did in again to extend the lead to 30 points at the 7:30 minute mark and finished the night going 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. IU took a 65-29 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
- Indiana would lead as many 40 in the fourth quarter as it would cruise to its ninth-straight win in the series with the Fighting Illini.
NOTABLE
- With the win, Indiana improves to 41-31 in the all-time series against Illinois. Indiana has won nine straight in the series against Illinois.
- Indiana held Illinois to 42 points, their sixth time this season holding an opponent below 50 points. The Hoosiers are 6-0 on the season when they hold an opponent under 50 points. Indiana held Illinois well under their season average of 68.2 points per game.
- The 42 points is the lowest for an Indiana opponent this season and the lowest for an IU opponent since the Hoosiers held Oakland to 32 points in a 59-32 win on 11/11/18.
- The Hoosiers held an 48-14 advantage in points in the paint and 33-14 edge in bench points. Indiana also held a 22-4 edge in points off turnovers.
- Indiana grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and outscored Illinois in second chance points, 15-0.
- The Hoosiers shot 33-of-62 (53.2 percent) from the field for their eighth game this season shooting 50 percent or better.
- Indiana got scoring from 10 different players in the game.
- The Hoosiers dished out 20 total assists, marking the fourth game this season with 20 or more assists.
- Indiana had three players score in double-figures led by Ali Patberg with 19 points.
- Mackenzie Holmes scored 16 points on 5-for-11 from the field and tied a season-high with eight rebounds.
- Grace Berger scored 11 points and added six rebounds and four assists.
- Aleksa Gulbe and Jaelynn Penn added nine points each for the Hoosiers.
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
“Well we are always excited after a win because we know how difficult they are to get whether you are at the Hall or whether you are on the road. The Big Ten is a grind night in and a night out. I am really pleased with the way we handled ourselves tonight and throughout the 40 minutes. It was great that we had a big enough lead that we could go to our bench and rest some of our normal starters. But then I though the bench was terrific when we went to them. People say that when you go to your bench you lose something, but I thought tonight that was not the case. I thought that Chanel (Wilson) and Key(anna Warthen), and those kids that were in there at the end handled themselves in a really great way. They were able to still score the ball and keep it clean and finish the game. We always talk about how we want to finish the game the right way. I thought tonight we didn’t despite or in spite of the scoreboard and what it looked like, we finished the game the right way.”
UP NEXT
Indiana will continue their homestand this week on Thursday, January 9 when they host Purdue inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on BTN+.
