The Scarlet Knights were here to fight, putting up some solid defense against the 5th seeded Hoosiers. Rutgers took the early 2-0 lead, but Indiana was able to find some rhythm toward the middle of the quarter, and capturing the lead. The end of the first quarter was 16-10 after a buzzer beating 3-point shot by IU Graduate Guard Ali Patberg.
Indiana tried fighting the paint early on, but Forward Aleksa Gulbe drew 2 quick fouls, and the Knights were pounding the offensive boards. Scarlet Knight Forwards Tyia Singletond and Osh Brown combined for 5 offensive boards at the end of the first 10 minutes of play, and Rutgers would eventually collect 15 of their own rebounds by the end of the game. This is a strength of Rutgers, jamming the paint and boxing out their opponents in an extremely effective manner. It would translate to 17 second chance points in the game.
The second quarter was back and forth. Although IU maintained their 6-point lead at half, the Knights were not going away. 32-26 as the teams hit the locker rooms.
The 3rd quarter was where Indiana began to shine. Their passing was really good throughout the game, but excellent in the second half; there were inside cuts, quick outlets, and general facilitation of the ball which should give Hoosier fans excitement.
Graduate Guard Nikki Cardano-Hillary was also on top of things defensively in the 3rd, where she executed 3 of her 5 steals. At the 7-minute mark she picked the pocket of Rutgers on two consecutive plays, getting fouled both times, and converting all 4 free throw shots. On the very next play, she was assisted by Guard Grace Berger, sinking a beautiful 3-pointer from deep beyond the arc. She scored 7 consecutive IU points.
Indiana would close out the game with balanced offense. It was exciting to see the Hoosiers smiling on the court, and not having to play from behind, as they have trended in recent weeks.
Patberg led the Hoosiers with 19 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc, Berger added 17, and Holmes scored 11 points. The Hoosiers were without Sophomore Forward Kiandra Browne who is sidelined with a reaggravated hip injury; Arielle Wisne provided 5 minutes off the bench to help in Browne’s absence. Cardano-Hillary had 9 points along with 5 steals and 2 assists. Gulbe scored 6 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter, and Chloe Moore-McNeil added 4 points for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers shot 45% from the field, 6-15 from three-point range for 40%, and 16-21 from 76% from the foul line.
Post play could be a problem walking into Friday’s game against Maryland, however. Junior Forward Mackenzie Holmes is getting better from her rehabbed knee injury, but she is not fully there, appearing to demonstrate less confidence on offense than with which Hoosier Nation is familiar. Gulbe has been prone to foul trouble this season, and Sophomore Forward Kiandra Browne sat out the Rutgers game with a sore hip so Maryland will look to expose this potential weakness.
Maryland will continue to press their effective paint game, shoveling the ball inside to Sophomore Center Angel Reese, who took IU for a double/double in both previous matchups this season. Indiana will have to rely on a high shooting percentage, and work to slow down the Terps, a lightning fast-paced offense, with tight man-to-man defense. Do not be surprised to see IU offer their scarce full-court press, selectively in the game, and to rely on the mid-range shooting of Berger and Patberg.
Gametime is 2pm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Winner of this takes on the winner of the Ohio State / Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.
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