EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Mackenzie Holmes scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead No. 6 Indiana to a 72-50 win over Northwestern on Sunday.
Holmes had 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the first half as fellow senior Grace Berger returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a right knee injury.
Berger did not look limited as she swapped out a thigh-to-ankle knee brace for a standard knee brace and finished with 16 points and five assists.
Holmes took over with 14 points in the second quarter, including eight straight points, as the Hoosiers (14-1, 4-1 Big Ten) outscored the Wildcats (6-9, 0-5) 20-12 to take a 40-24 lead into halftime. She finished 10 of 14 from the field and added two blocks.
Berger racked up three assists in the opening minutes before scoring a layup and hitting a transition jumper for her first buckets since exiting a Nov. 25 win over Auburn and being ruled out indefinitely.
The Wildcats got a boost off the bench as Jasmine McWilliams added eight points on 3-for-3 shooting in the third. McWilliams and Sydney Wood led Northwestern with 10 points each as the team shot 35.8% in their seventh loss in nine games.
The Hoosiers outrebounded the Wildcats 46 to 33 and tallied up 20 points on 19 Northwestern turnovers.
TIP-INS:
Indiana: Berger’s return is a huge boost for the talented Hoosiers as they look to challenge for the Big Ten crown down the stretch. Teri Moren’s battle-tested group faces a tough schedule this month with ranked games against Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State coming up.
Northwestern: The Wildcats have dropped four straight in a brutal opening stretch to Big Ten play. It doesn’t get easier with trips to Iowa and Ohio State looming.
UP NEXT
Indiana: Hosts No. 13 Maryland in a matchup between Big Ten contenders.
Northwestern: Visits Iowa Wednesday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter_APTop25
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