At 9-0, the Indiana Hoosiers are enjoying one of the best starts in school history, moving up one spot to No. 4 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, tying for the program's best ranking reached in the 2021-22 season. Indiana is one of only nine ranked teams without a loss this season, with coach Teri Moren's squad having won all nine of its games by an average of 26.1 points per game.
The NCAA.com Team of the Week, Indiana, scored wins last week over North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Illinois to start Big Ten Conference play.
In the win over North Carolina, senior forward Mackenzie Holmes (25) and junior forward Sydney Parrish (24) combined for 49 points as Indiana scored its first-ever win over North Carolina and improved all-time to 9-6 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Key for Indiana in the game was 12 made threes, tying a season-high set earlier in the season against Vermont. For Holmes, the 25 points marked her 21st 20-point game of her career.
POWER 10: Ohio State surges in the Power 10 after a big win over Louisville
In a hard-fought four-point home win over Illinois on Sunday, Holmes again led the way with 23 points and six rebounds and set a new season-high with four blocks. Chloe Moore-McNeil scored 10 of her 13 points in the first quarter, while adding three assists and a pair of rebounds. Parrish had her second double-double of the season and third of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sara Scalia set a new season high in assists with six while freshman guard Yarden Garzon had nine points, three assists and three rebounds. Indiana extended its win streak to 14 over the Fighting Illini, winning every matchup since 2013.
Indiana has been able to maintain its early season success, despite playing without fifth-year guard Grace Berger, who is currently sidelined with an injury. Key to that sustained excellence has been Holmes, who is averaging a team-high 20.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 69.6 percent from the field. Holmes has scored at least 20 points in each of Indiana’s last five games.
The Hoosiers next travel to Penn State for its second Big Ten contest on Thursday night, Dec. 8.
