IU women’s basketball bounced back into the win column with a 79-67 victory against Michigan State at home Sunday after a rough start on offense. IU came back from an 8 point deficit in the first half and outscored Michigan State 21-11 in the last quarter.
“We just had to be really sound in those last 20 minutes of play,” sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes said. “I think that was a learning experience for us. We learned on the night we played Ohio State that plays like that are essential between a win and a loss.”
Holmes said learning not to allow opponents to beat them in transition or give up shots were key to those last minutes of the game.
Junior forward Aleksa Gulbe put IU on the board with one made free-throw, but Michigan State led 6-1 to start the game. Despite a wide open 3-pointer from Gulbe, the Hoosiers struggled with the Spartans’ aggressiveness down low as they fell behind 16-6.
“Michigan State’s post players seemed extremely comfortable,” head coach Teri Moren said.
The Spartans shot 64% from the field in the first quarter and led 19-17, while the Hoosiers shot only 38% from the field.
IU improved in the second quarter and began to sink shots, with both Gulbe and senior guard Jaelynn Penn hitting 3-pointers to turn the lead over to IU. However, the first half of the quarter was a tease from IU, which ended the half on a two minute scoring drought. The Spartans shot 67% and held a 41-33 lead at halftime.
In spite of a challenging first half offensively, IU took the lead back in the third quarter. Continuous fouls and multiple turnovers from both teams kept the scores close over the course of the period, but a 3-pointer from Penn tied the game at 54-54 and a layup from junior forward Danielle Patterson put the Hoosiers ahead 58-56 at the end of the quarter.
“In the second half we guarded one on one, we guarded in the post, we rebounded, we ran, so we got back to playing our game,” senior guard Ali Patberg said.
The Hoosiers carried their third quarter rhythm into the last minutes of the game and went on a 6-0 run for a minute of play in the fourth. IU finished with its largest lead of the game at 79-67 following two made free-throws by Patberg and a jumper from Holmes.
Four out of five starters put up double digit points by the end of the game. Holmes led with 17 points followed by 15 points from Patberg, 14 from Gulbe and 13 from Penn.
Moren credited her team for showing up in the second half of the game after seemingly not having an answer for the Spartans in the first half.
“I thought our kids really battled today,” Moren said.
IU will be back in Assembly Hall at 8 p.m. Thursday for a rescheduled game against Rutgers.
