Coming off its first ranked victory of the season, Indiana women’s basketball returned to the court Saturday –– this time in the Bahamas.
The Hoosiers took on Columbia University inside Imperial Arena, a grand ballroom transformed into a basketball venue, and emerged with a 72-62 victory to improve to 3-2 and advance to the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.
Indiana immediately jumped out to a quick 4-point lead before Columbia responded in what turned into a back-and-forth opening quarter. The Hoosiers went 5 for 12 from the field in the period, compared to the Lions going 5 for 19, but trailed by 1 point after 10 minutes.
The Cream and Crimson went on a 4-0 run to regain the lead early in the second, but Columbia went on an 11-6 run over five minutes in the middle of the quarter to take a 4-point advantage.
But again, the Hoosiers responded. This time with a 7-0 run with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half to take a 27-24 lead into halftime. Over the first 20 minutes, junior guard Yarden Garzon led Indiana with 10 points and five rebounds, while junior forward Lilly Meister chipped in 6 points.
Both squads went on their own runs in the third quarter. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run in the first half of the period before the Lions fought back with a 6-0 run as they trailed by 3 points with 10 minutes to play.
Over the course of the first nearly seven and a half minutes of the final quarter, Indiana and Columbia traded baskets and were eventually tied at 60 with just over two and a half minutes left.
That’s when the Hoosiers took over.
Graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and Garzon spearheaded a 6-0 run before the Lions senior guard Kitty Henderson knocked down a jumper to end it. But Indiana went on another 6-0 run to secure the 10-point victory.
Lexus Bargesser took to the court for the first time this season, notching 4 points in 10 minutes of action. The junior guard missed the Hoosiers' first four games of the season with a right foot injury.
Meister led all scorers with 20 points and eight rebounds while Garzon, on her 21st birthday, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana will now take on No. 18 Baylor University, which defeated the University of Southern Mississippi 101-55 on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The contest will stream on FloHoops.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
This story will be updated.
