No. 10 Hoosiers Fall At No. 8 Ohio State

Sunday, February 4

Columbus, Ohio

12:00 P.M

Indiana University

18-3,9-2Big Ten

#8/7 Ohio State

19-3,10-1Big Ten

Indiana

Ohio St.

2/4/2024 2:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four players scored in double figures for No. 10 Indiana but it wasn't enough as No. 8 Ohio State took the Top 10 Big Ten battle, 74-69, on Sunday afternoon at The Schottenstein Center.

KEY MOMENTS

Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes had Indiana's first seven points as the Hoosiers (18-3, 9-2 B1G) held a 7-6 lead at the first media timeout. Scalia's drive and an offensive put back by Moore-McNeil kept the lead with IU, 11-10, at the 2:09 mark. But the Buckeyes would close the quarter on an 8-0 run and take an 18-11 advantage.
It would be a 26-point second quarter for the Hoosiers, who managed the Ohio State (19-3, 10-1 B1G) run which extended to 10-0 into the early parts of the frame. Scalia's transition layup broke the run as she scored the next seven points for Indiana including her first triple of the afternoon with 8:24 on the clock to cut the deficit to two. OSU was able to capitalize on a couple Hoosier turnover into a quick 5-0 run before Holmes and Garzon's and-1 brought the game back within a single possession.
Sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser added her own and-1 tie the game at 27-all. It was one of two ties and six lead changes in the first half alone. IU's defense would go on to hold the Buckeyes to no field goals in the final 4:09 of the second quarter as the Hoosiers would finish the half on a 7-0 run to take a 37-32 lead at the break.
Indiana held on to the lead through the six-minute mark of the third quarter, but it was practically all Ohio State from there. It started with a 9-0 run as Moore-McNeil stopped the bleeding with a pull-up elbow jumper at 3:17. IU was limited to just one more field goal in the third, a 3-pointer from Scalia with 1:08 remaining as it found the deficit at seven, 55-47.
In the fourth, IU faced a 14-point deficit with 7:32 remaining but wouldn't go away down the stretch as it got back-to-back triples from sophomore guard Yarden Garzon and three shots at the line from Scalia to make it a three-point game with just 15 seconds remaining.
OSU would finish the game at the line as the Hoosiers came up empty in their final possession.

NOTABLE

Scalia notched a team-high 25 points, her 17^th game in double figures this season and her eighth game with 20-points or more.
Garzon and Holmes each added 14 points and nine rebounds. The Hoosiers won the battle on the boards, 38-29.
Moore-McNeil was the other double figure scorer with 10 points and a team-high five assists. Holmes also added four assists on the afternoon.
Indiana's 26 points in the second quarter were a season-high in any second quarter.

QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
"I'm disappointed with the outcome today. There were a few bright spots, it was a great crowd and they made a run at us early. I thought we bounced back and regained the lead and felt like we were in the driver seat when we got to halftime but knew that Ohio state tends to be a very, very good third quarter team. We tried to prepare our guys for that and the aggressiveness that was going to come with the press and the first four minutes got away from us and I thought we lost all momentum. They regained it and then we were kind of playing catch up there the remainder of the game. 21 points off of our turnovers that's the game right there. You can dissect it any way you want but that's the game, 21 points off of our turnovers."

UP NEXT
The Hoosiers are back at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday when they host Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET.

Follow Indiana Women's Basketball on Facebook, X and Instagram

#GoIU