ASSEMBLY HALL (IUSTV Sports) - It was an evening of personal landmarks as Indiana women’s basketball opened their 2023-24 regular season with a resounding win over last year’s Ohio Valley Conference runners-up Eastern Illinois. Behind a dominant shooting display, the Hoosiers took a 96-43 victory.
The win represented a substantial milestone for head coach Teri Moren, who recorded her 400th career win. Moren noted that she did not find out about her proximity to the mark until the day before.
“It reminds me of all the great stops I’ve been at and all the great players that I’ve had the opportunity to coach and certainly my staff is always instrumental in helping with every single one of those,” said Moren
Starring on the court was graduate forward Mackenzie Holmes. With a game-high 19 points on the night, Holmes moved to third on the program’s all-time scoring list passing Karna Abram. With 1,916 points, Holmes sits just one point shy of Denise Jackson in the second spot.
“I’m not surprised,” said Lexus Bargesser. “Whenever we’re slowing down on offense, get it into Mack. Whenever we need a quick bucket, get it into Mack.”
“It’s always fun to play with an All-American,” said Yarden Garzon. “We can always throw the ball to her and she’ll catch it and score.”
Indiana shot the lights out going 65% from the field and knocking down eight triples. However, free throws were the one blemish on the stat sheet. The Hoosiers shot a meager 2-11 from the line.
“When [the players] congratulated me on my 400th win, I said, ‘So we get to shoot 400 free throws tomorrow,’” said Moren.
Sophomore Yarden Garzon picked up right where she left off after her explosive freshman campaign. She turned in an all-around performance with 15 points, five rebounds, and a career-high seven assists.
“You keep thinking that she’s just a sophomore and she’s out here making big-time plays the way she did tonight,” said Moren.
The Hoosiers’ second unit got significant minutes in the second half. 11 Hoosiers scored on the night including Lenée Beaumont and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks in their Indiana debuts. Indiana’s bench combined for 39 points paired with an improved defensive performance from the preseason exhibition.
The bank was open for Lexus Bargesser, who three times scored off the backboard including a pair of buzzer-beating shots to end the first and third quarters. Bargesser finished with a career-high 15 points, shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field.
With the win, the Hoosiers have now won 11 straight season openers including all 10 under Moren.
Indiana faces a massive test in their second game of the season as they travel to California on November 12th to take on 15th-ranked Stanford.
