SIMON SKODJT ASSEMBLY HALL (IUSTV Sports) – After nine days of no game play and a week of finals, it was dominant on both sides of the ball in the Hoosiers’ 109-56 victory against the Evansville Purple Aces.
“For a week that is weird, always when you come off of finals week, to come out and try to get back in rhythm,” said head coach Teri Moren, “I thought it was a good night.”
It was another landmark night for Yarden Garzon, who trumped her own career high in points from less than a month ago, draining 30 on the night.
“I felt good tonight,” said Garzon, “But I didn’t know how many points I had so I just tried to play and be aggressive, and just play.”
“She’s not content, she’s not satisfied, she is impressive on a lot of levels, and she’s going to have a great career here,” said Coach Moren.
Garzon is the first Hoosier to secure 30 points in one game since Mackenzie Holmes’ first 30-point game against Ohio State in February.
“We know this, and we knew a game like this for her was bound to happen,” said Holmes, “Especially when she is getting the ball in the mid to post area, she’s very dangerous.”
Indiana played it fast paced from the get-go, and with Big Ten play coming highly anticipated to Bloomington, it was no disappointment to see 21 fastbreak points on the evening. It is becoming clear that the Hoosiers are finding their balance between fast paced and calculated play.
“I thought we did a great job of that, not settling, obviously we are a great three-point shooting team,” said Mackenzie Holmes, “But not settling for threes all the time and trying to get to the rim, draw contacts, draw fouls, and get some high percentage shots.”
The Hoosiers were able to draw 14 fouls in just the first half alone but could only make 16 of those 24 shots and 24-of-34 on the night.
It has not gone unnoticed for both the players and Coach Moren, as they are slowly chipping away at that speed bump.
“We got by missing 10 free throws tonight, but we do that in the Big Ten and it’s just not going to be good enough,” said Holmes.
“My biggest thing is just making sure that we don’t overdo it either with how much we talk about it,” said Coach Moren, “Because then it really becomes something they think about.”
The depth of this roster was imminently clear all night. All 12 players saw the floor in some capacity, with 31 of the 109 points scored coming from the bench alone. As it has in the past, Indiana’s bench depth is a unique quality that will be a major advantage come conference play.
The Hoosiers will host the Bowling Green Falcons this Friday before their Big Ten opener against Illinois to ring in the new year on December 31st.
