IU women’s basketball played No. 14 Michigan on Thursday in a highly anticipated top 15 matchup that did not disappoint. It was an emotional, physical and closely contested battle from the opening tip all the way until the final buzzer, and it ended with a 70-65 IU victory.
In just their second ranked win of the season, the Hoosiers weathered the storm in a nail-bitter to pull away late from the Wolverines. IU has now won five straight games since falling at home to then-No. 14 Ohio State 78-70 on Jan. 28.
There were 12 ties and 17 lead changes, and there was no deficit larger than 6 points at any mark during the game.
“I don’t think it was the best game we’ve ever had, but we know we fought hard, we battled ‘til the end and I think we wanted it more,” senior guard Ali Patberg said. “We just had to get one stop at a time, and that’s what we kept telling one another. We all pulled through.”
Michigan’s offense typically runs through junior forward Naz Hillmon, but IU kept her in check and bothered her down low for much of the game. Hillmon shot 7-of-14 from the field and had to be cautious on defense after picking up two fouls within the first three minutes of play.
IU’s leading scorer also wasn’t as effective shooting the ball as normal. Sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes finished with 6 points, just the third time this season she was held to single digits.
Instead of relying on Holmes to find her groove in the paint, however, the Hoosiers found other ways to score.
“Tonight, I think it was just a matter of it being very crowded in the low block for Mack,” head coach Teri Moren said. “I think Michigan came in here willing to allow us to try and beat them from the outside. It was nice to see our three-ball go in.”
IU finished 9-of-18 from behind the arc for its third best three-point shooting effort of the season.
While Holmes was unable to get it going on offense and wasn’t taking as many shots around the rim, she shined defensively in the second half and locked up Hillmon with the game on the line. It was that momentum the Hoosiers fed off down the stretch as they extended their lead at the free throw line and fended off the Wolverines.
“Defense is the beginning to our offense,” junior forward Aleksa Gulbe said. “[Holmes] made some great plays on Michigan’s leader, and the rebounds she got down the stretch were just right on time, right when we needed them.”
Hillmon led all scorers with 23 points but Patberg led the way for IU. The senior guard finished with 21 points, 17 of which Patberg scored in the first half.
IU, now 14-4 overall and 12-2 in Big Ten play, is on the road for a pair of games next week with Wisconsin on Wednesday and Ohio State on Saturday.
