On Wednesday night in Bloomington, Ind., the Gophers women's basketball team ran into the most efficient team in the Big Ten Conference and one of the most efficient players in the country.
Gophers women are no match for No. 16 Indiana team coming off a rout and fall 85-62
Hoosiers post Mackenzie Holmes scored 32 points, making all but two of her 17 shots from the field, and former Gophers guard Sara Scalia hit five three-pointers.
January 18, 2024 at 12:59PM
The result: No. 16-ranked Indiana beat the Gophers 85-62 as Hoosiers post Mackenzie Holmes scored a season-high 32 points on 15-for-17 shooting.
There were other factors involved here.
Indiana (15-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) was highly motivated, coming off a one-sided loss in Iowa only days before. And the Hoosiers got five three-pointers each from Sydney Parrish (15 points) and former Gophers player Sara Scalia (22 points).
But really this was the Mackenzie show.
"We were trying to limit touches," Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said in a postgame phone interview. "We didn't do a very good job of it. We'll have to go back, learn from it and work on it."
The Hoosiers shot 58.9% from the field, the highest percentage by a Gophers opponent this season.
Holmes scored 11 points in the first quarter, which ended with Indiana up 23-18. The Gophers got the game back to within two points until Indiana — which got 14 second-quarter points from Scalia — finished the half on a 19-2 run to lead 47-29.
"They've got the whole package on the offensive end," Plitzuweit said. "They have guards who can shoot it and get by you. They have post kids who can catch it and score it. When [Holmes] gets the ball in her hands, she's incredibly efficient."
In a postgame TV interview, Holmes credited her teammates for getting her the ball in the right place. "It's something we rep in practice," she said. "I know they're going to find me when I'm open. Then I just have to make the right reads."
To the Gophers' credit, they came out in the second half and were more competitive. After turning the ball over 11 times (for 17 Indiana points) in the first half, the Gophers committed only four turnovers (two points) in the second.
There were other encouraging signs.
After combining for nine points on 2-for-20 shooting in a victory over Nebraska, freshman Grace Grocholski and sophomore Mara Braun combined for 33 points. Grocholski had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting. Braun had 14 points, all coming in the second half, when she made six of 13 shots. Amaya Battle had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Gophers got to within 12 points twice in the second half. Grocholski's midrange jumper cut Indiana's lead to 67-55 with 7:18 left in the game.
But the Gophers couldn't get any closer.
Indiana improved to 10-0 at home this season and stayed within a game of Iowa for first place in the Big Ten.
Plitzuweit was pleased at the way her team competed in the second half and with the bounce-back play of Grocholski and Braun. But there is work to be done on the interior defense. Plitzuweit wasn't thrilled with the way her team limited interior touches in Sunday's 62-58 win over Nebraska. On Wednesday, Holmes made them pay all night.
"If you double her, she dumps it off," Plitzuweit said of Holmes, who also had seven rebounds and two assists.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
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