Indiana's Sydney Parrish brings the ball up the floor against Purdue Sunday.
(Indiana University Athletics)
Indiana junior Sydney Parrish felt she had an obligation in her first game against Purdue.
“I'm excited to be part of the rivalry after not being a part my first two years,” said Parrish, a 2020 Indiana Miss Basketball who transferred to join the Hoosiers after two seasons at Oregon. “It was a little more personal as I am the only player from Indiana on the team. I had to step up and be that person on our team to show who the best team in Indiana is.”
Parrish and Mackenzie Holmes each scored 15 points and No. 4 Indiana won its 10th straight game, pulling away from Purdue 69-46 Sunday in front of a record Boilermakers crowd.
The announced attendance of 14,876 was the largest for a Purdue women's home game. It marked the first sellout for a women's matchup at Mackey Arena since 2000 and third in program history.
Hoosiers coach Teri Moren said her team did a good job keeping its cool in a raucous environment.
“I don't think it affected us from an emotional standpoint," Moren said. “That's what happens when you have a veteran team.”
Sara Scalia had 14 points and Chloe Moore-McNeil had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Hoosiers (22-1, 12-1 Big Ten).
“Sara gave us great minutes off the bench, that was a shot in the arm for us,” Moren said. “Chloe hit some 3s but took opportunities to attack as well. Mackenzie knows the double team is coming and she continues to handle it in a mature type of way."
Holmes made 6 of 7 shots, including a 3-pointer. Moore-McNeil was 3 of 8 from 3-point range.
Ahead 31-26 at halftime, Indiana outscored Purdue 19-2 in the third quarter. The Boilermakers missed their final 12 shots in the period and finally broke their scoreless streak on a layup by Jayla Smith in the first minute off the fourth quarter.
“During halftime, we knew had to keep our foot on the gas and keep playing hard and our runs would come,” Parrish said.
Purdue was 1 of 17 from the field in the third quarter.
“We missed some open shots, but a lot of that has to go to Indiana's defensive pressure,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “It was a little different than it was in the first half. If we had hit some open shots in the first half it might have given us a little more confidence."
“There was a domino effect when they come out and scored on their first three or four possessions. It was a real tough quarter for us,” she said.
Lasha Petree scored 13 points and Abbey Ellis had 10 to lead the Boilermakers (15-7, 6-6).
Purdue used a 9-0 run for a 17-14 lead in the second quarter. The Hoosiers rebounded to take the lead at the break.
“Give credit to Indiana, they are by far the best team in our league,” Gearlds said. "They don’t beat themselves. They have all the weapons out there."
BIG PICTURE
Indiana: The Hoosiers have now won eight straight in the series and 11 of the last 12 dating to the 2017-18 season. The two teams will meet again in Bloomington on Feb. 19
Purdue: After road victories over then-No. 22 Illinois and then-No. 2 Ohio State, the Boilermakers struggled to score against Indiana. Purdue has the opportunity to get back on track for an NCAA berth with its next two games against Rutgers and Northwestern, two teams below .500.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Hoosiers are likely to maintain a Top 5 ranking after road victories over Minnesota and Purdue.
