Entering the fourth quarter Sunday, No. 16 IU women’s basketball had kept it close. They were down 6 points, but chipped away at No. 21 Northwestern’s peak lead of 13 to give themselves an opening to win..
The Hoosiers finished the third quarter on a 12-5 run and were in command until the final buzzer, en route to a 74-61 road win. They outscored the Wildcats by 19 points in the final frame.
“It was nice to see us execute,” head coach Teri Moren said. “I keep telling everybody that we are a veteran team, and I thought that shined through this afternoon with the way we finished.”
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A calm demeanor down the stretch helped IU on its way to its first victory against a ranked team this season. The Hoosiers shot a clutch 85% from the free-throw line in the last 10 minutes to continue extending their lead, eventually putting the game out of Northwestern’s reach.
“We’ve come short on some ranked teams this season,” senior guard Jaelynn Penn said. “So to be able to beat a ranked team and to win a road game in the Big Ten is big.”
Winning competitive games against strong opponents has definitely been an illusive achievement to this point. Although they often blow open games they are supposed to win, IU has let multiple opportunities for notable resumé wins slip through their fingers.
So what was the main difference between those losses and yesterday’s win?
Getting stops on defense seems to be the contrast that stands out. In its three losses this season, IU’s opponents have averaged 22 points in the last quarter. On Sunday, Northwestern could only muster up 9 points and turned it over four times in the final frame. The Wildcats’ top threat, Lindsey Pulliam, scored her last point in the third quarter.
“We had to get the stops, that’s where it started,” Moren said. “I thought we came down and executed down the stretch particularly under the last media timeout.”
Once the defensive tone was set, the offensive production felt more natural.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes had another impressive outing with 10 of her 22 points coming in the final quarter. Moren said she felt like Holmes was in her own head early on, but bounced back in the second half to notch her fourth career double-double with the victory.
Penn put up 12 points in her return from an ankle injury that sidelined her for about three weeks. She also contributed by grabbing four rebounds, dishing out four assists and hitting all three of her free throws.
“We kept chipping away,” Holmes said. “We didn’t take our foot off the pedal and I think we grew a lot as a team during the course of that game.”
Having the confidence that they can win a close game like this should make a massive difference for the Hoosiers moving forward. They have been able to extend leads down the stretch before, but have yet to do it against a team of Northwestern’s caliber.
IU will more than likely be in another tight game soon. IU’s next three games will be against teams with over .500 conference records, including a date on Thursday against Ohio State in Bloomington.
“This year, we’ve matured a lot in the sense that we’re able to deal with adversity,” Holmes said. “We know that this year is different than any other year.”
