Holmes scores 30, Garzon hits key 3-pointer, No. 16 Indiana women turn back Illinois 77-71

Dec 31, 2023, 08:06 pm

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- — Mackenzie Holmes scored 13 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter, Yarden Garzon was clutch in the closing seconds and No. 16 Indiana ran its winning streak to 10 with a 77-71 win over Illinois on Sunday.

Although the Hoosiers never trailed in the fourth quarter, it became a battle between Holmes and Makira Cook of the Illini. Holmes made a basket, the first of a nine-point run, that made it 61-58. Cook had seven straight points for Illinois and her two free throws with 55.1 seconds to go made it 68-67.

That's when Chloe Moore-McNeil drove the lane and then found Garzon in the right corner for a 3-pointer. After an Illinois miss, Garzon made two free throws with 20.6 seconds left. Sara Scalia and Moore-McNeil both made a pair of free throws in the last 5.7 seconds to close out the Hoosiers' 15th straight victory over Illinois.

Moore-McNeil scored 19 points for Indiana (11-1, 2-0 Big Ten Conference) and Garzon had 12. Holmes gave the Hoosiers a 30-point scorer for the third straight game, a first in program history. Garzon (30) and Scalia (32) started the string. Holmes was 10 of 14 from the field and 10 of 12 from the foul line.

Cook scored 24 points for the Illini (6-6, 0-2), 13 in the fourth quarter. Kendall Bostic scored 18 with 11 rebounds and Genesis Bryant added 12 points.

Indiana went 7 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and 11 of 13 from the line in the fourth quarter. Illinois was 9 of 17, 1 of 2 from distance, and 5 of 7 from the line.

Holmes had 15 points, missing just two of her eight shots, and Moore-McNeil 10 as the Hoosiers took a 37-31 lead at the half.

A 9-0 run, with Moore-McNeil making a layup and a 3-pointer, gave Indiana the lead for good at 13-6. It was 17-10 after one quarter.

Moore-McNeil made consecutive layups as an Indiana 9-0 run made it 46-35 in the third quarter. A Cook jumper capped a 10-0 Illinois surge that made it 48-47 before Indiana took a 49-47 lead into the fourth quarter.

Indiana has a home game against Michigan on Thursday. Illinois is off until next Sunday when Wisconsin visits. ------ Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ------ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball