No. 10 Indiana women’s basketball defeated Maryland 87-73 Wednesday night as the Hoosiers took their first road win against the Terrapins in program history.
Sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser, filling in for the injured senior guard Sydney Parrish, started her third straight game and played a crucial role in the victory. She scored 9 points, her most in Big Ten play, and led the team with six assists in 31 minutes on the court.
Parrish has been ruled out indefinitely since the Hoosiers' Jan. 21 win over Purdue with a foot injury after averaging 10.8 points per game in 17 appearances as a starter. Bargesser had a major role to fill in the absence of Parrish, and her efforts have been applauded by Indiana head coach Teri Moren.
“She’s doing exactly what we need her to do,” Moren said following a Jan. 28 win over Northwestern.
Although she was without a point in her first two starts, Bargesser took on a major role as the team's secondary playmaker behind senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil. She has made a difference on the court outside of scoring — consider her performance in the win over Northwestern, where she recorded nine rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
“We need Lexie to continue to facilitate,” Moren said after the Northwestern game.
The Grass Lake, Michigan, native did that and more in the Hoosiers’ win over Maryland. Not only did Bargesser tie a career-high with six assists, but she also kept the ball out of harm’s way, recording just a single turnover against the Terrapins.
Additionally, Bargesser was active offensively as a scorer. Her 9 points against Maryland were the most she’s scored since a Nov. 17 non-conference matchup against Murray State University. That scoring is a valuable addition to a high-powered Indiana offense which has put up 85 plus points in each of its last three games.
Bargesser received high praise from her teammate and team captain, graduate student forward Mackenize Holmes, following the game.
“I thought Lexi did a great job tonight,” Holmes said. “She was aggressive. We needed her to be aggressive, drive, make plays, and I thought she did a really good job of that.”
Holmes scored a team-high 23 points in the win, many of which came from Bargesser assists.
The Hoosiers will hope to get another quality performance from Bargesser this weekend, as Indiana heads to Columbus to take on No. 8 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, sophomore forward Cotie McMahon, is at the helm of an Ohio State team averaging 81.2 points per game. For Indiana to keep up with the Buckeyes, Bargesser must contribute on both ends of the floor.
“She wants to contribute,” Moren said last week about Bargesser. “She wants to know what that looks like for her.”
Indiana’s matchup with Ohio State is set to tip off at 12 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa), columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) and photographer Olivia Bianco (@theoliviabianco) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
