No. 13 Hoosiers Drop Tough Road Contest At No. 11 Kentucky

by | Dec 7, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

No. 13 Hoosiers Drop Tough Road Contest At No. 11 Kentucky

 

LEXINGTON, Ky.  – A tough fourth-quarter sank No. 13 Indiana Women’s Basketball on the road, as it lost to No. 11 Kentucky, 72-68.

 

KEY MOMENTS

  • In a gritty first quarter, Kentucky took an early 10-7 lead at the media timeout as the two teams traded leads three times in the first three minutes of action. Back-to-back buckets by sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes and junior guard Aleksa Gulbe gave IU the lead back, 13-12, with just under three minutes to play. It sparked a 7-0 run for the Hoosiers who ended the frame at the buzzer as senior guard Jaelynn Penn hit one of her 3 triples in the opening 10 minutes to take a 21-12 lead.
  • The Hoosiers continued to build a sizeable lead in the first part of the second quarter, going up as many as 14 with Holmes completing fast break action to make it 28-14 with 6:44 to play before the half.
  • UK would cut the lead to single digits on a Rhyne Howard 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining. IU’s defense would hold the Wildcats to no field goals in that final 3:57 and built a 36-23 lead at halftime behind 11 points from Penn and 10 points from Holmes.
  • Indiana would maintain its lead through the third quarter, going up by as many as 13 with a Gulbe offensive board and putback. UK would push the deficit down to single digits a few times including with just under a minute to play but Berger’s jumper at the buzzer would give the Hoosiers the 10-point edge going into the final 10 minutes.
  • However, that’s where IU would relinquish its lead as it struggled to score in the final 10 minutes, shooting just 26 percent in the final quarter. An 11-0 Kentucky run late in the frame put the home team on top and led by five with just 37 second to play. Indiana would respond on a couple occasions but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats sealed it down the line.

 

NOTABLE

  • Three Hoosiers hit double figure scoring. Grace Berger had a team high 21 points while Mackenzie Homes scored 16 and Jaelynn Penn knocked in 11 points.
  • Berger, Holmes, and Penn combined for 48 or Indiana’s 68 points
  • Berger led the Indiana offense with 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. The junior claimed all 14 of Indiana’s points in the fourth quarter.
  • Holmes tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second career double-double. Her 11 rebounds were a career high.
  • The Hoosiers had 42 points in the paint while the Wildcats had 22 points.
  • Indiana outrebounded Kentucky 38-37.

 

QUOTABLE

Indiana head coach Teri Moren

“Obviously, we are disappointed in the result. We gave up almost 50 points in the second half. We were disappointed because we think we are a defensive-minded team. Shots were not falling tonight. I think Grace Berger and Ali Patberg struggled but not necessarily on the glass. We were sort of in between being an aggressive team and a passive team. We were not consistent; we need to be more aggressive for 40 minutes. Watching film, I will be interested to see how many post touches we could have had. We have to be better on a lot of accounts but to go on the road is a challenge for everybody. Give Kentucky credit for coming back because they had some challenges as well. I am disappointed in the Hoosiers, needed to be sounder on defense in the second half. So, we will go back to Bloomington and get back to work.”

 

UP NEXT

Indiana returns home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall when it faces Butler on Sunday, December 13.