Chants of “airball, airball” rained down from Northwestern fans after No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball junior guard Sydney Parrish failed to connect on a 3-pointer.
The miss capped off a day in which the Hoosiers shot 3-22 —14% — from beyond the arc. I may have failed to mention that they did in fact beat the Wildcats by 22 points on Sunday, though. Midway through the third quarter, Parrish tumbled into a row of open seats after chasing down a loose ball.
In domino fashion, the foldable chairs collapsed one by one, and thankfully Parrish emerged unscathed. It was a fitting metaphor for the game, wherein Indiana didn’t need finesse or flashiness to swiftly topple Northwestern, but rather devastatingly disciplined play on both ends of the floor.
Speaking of reliability, while senior forward Mackenzie Holmes delivered yet another highly efficient 20-point double-double, graduate guard Grace Berger was reinserted into the starting lineup against the Wildcats after missing the last eight games with a knee injury.
Surprise would be an understatement. Berger’s injury appeared severe when it occurred, and head coach Teri Moren had dodged questions about the star’s timeline for a return, instead repeatedly hinting toward somewhat vague notions of progress.
Though she certainly made tangible leaps forward in recent weeks, when the Twitter notification of the starting lineup popped up, I admittedly had to recheck it multiple times. Credit to head coach Teri Moren for keeping that information close to the vest, because that truly made for a shock.
Minutes would be the next question. She squashed any ideas of a restriction after logging 27. As for what she did with those minutes? Berger notched 16 points powered by converting six of seven shots from the stripe, five assists and a pair of steals.
It wasn’t a vintage performance, which was absolutely not to be expected in her first action back, but seeing No. 34 drop contested midrange jumpers made it hard for Hoosier fans not to get a little excited. Her shot creation is well-documented, but her overall playmaking ability was glaringly lacking in her absence.
“She’s only been in practice for a week,” Moren said. “Not that she looks like the Grace we’re used to seeing but she looks dang near close to it. I think it gives everyone a shot in the arm.”
Like the cross-court dart to freshman guard Yarden Garzon — who subsequently drained a 3-pointer — early in Sunday’s game, Berger’s passes were crisp and decisive. Add in a strong connection with Holmes and the Hoosiers are now firmly back in the discussion for owning the best tandem in the Big Ten.
Sunday’s performance was far from Indiana’s cleanest of the season. Saying it was sloppy would be overly critical, but I think it lends even more credence to Moren and her philosophy. Even when shots aren’t falling — like, really not falling — the Hoosiers can always rely on their defensive-minded identity to create success.
Look no further than 14 fast-break points for Indiana compared to none for Northwestern. With the length of Parrish and Garzon on the perimeter, the intensity of players like senior guard Sara Scalia and junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and the interior prowess of Holmes, there is a constant ability to spark opportunities on the other end.
Junior forward Kiandra Browne is a crucial part of that equation. She has been sidelined the entire season with a thumb injury but she made her first appearance on Sunday. An energetic bench piece in her previous two campaigns, Browne’s activeness on defense was evident from the moment she stepped on the floor against the Wildcats.
Chemistry, as it has been all year, is the Hoosiers’ superpower. At the outset of the season, it was perhaps the biggest question mark.
With Berger back in the mix and transfers and freshmen continuing to contribute on a gamely basis, the energy is infectious. Because of that, each and every player knows it can pick one another up through slumps.
Northwestern is far from the most daunting Big Ten foe, but being able to sleepwalk through stretches of the second half and pull out a 22-point win is an accomplishment on its own. As was seen with Garzon late in the fourth quarter, anytime a player and coaching staff can smile through fouling out means something is going well.
And it really is. With a less than enviable slate of games coming up, the Hoosiers, for the first time in over a month, are at full strength.
