Holmes, Garzon lead No. 6 Indiana women past No. 2 Ohio St

Updated Jan. 26, 2023 10:41 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Mackenzie Holmes scored 26 points, Yarden Garzon added 20 and No. 6 Indiana surged in the third quarter, rallying past No. 2 Ohio State 78-65 Thursday night.

The Hoosiers have won four straight in the series, seven in a row overall and maintained the best start in school history (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten) in front of raucous, record regular-season crowd of 10,455.

Cotie McMahon led the Buckeyes with 21 points before fouling out with about five minutes to go. Taylor Mikesell had 15 and Taylor Thierry had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Ohio State (19-2, 8-2), which has lost two straight since starting this week as one of only three unbeaten teams in Division I.

The Hoosiers used a furious third-quarter flurry to take control and the Buckeyes never completely recovered.

Indiana scored eight straight to turn 38-32 deficit into a 40-38 lead, then made three consecutive 3-pointers. The spurt continued with the Hoosiers converting back-to-back turnovers into breakaway layups, and Holmes closed out the 24-3 run with a free throw to make 56-41 as the crowd roared in unison.

Ohio State kept Indiana scrambling early in the fourth with full-court pressure and managed to close to 64-56 with 6:15 to go, but Indiana scored six of the next eight points.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have certainly looked vulnerable this week, albeit against two of the nation's strongest teams. While Ohio State's conference title hopes have taken a hit with back-to-back losses, the Buckeyes shouldn't fret.

Indiana: The Hoosiers have only captured one Big Ten regular-season crown in school history, that coming in 1983. And with wins over No. 13 Michigan on Monday and No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday, they've taken a huge step toward title No. 2 — even with two games remaining against Iowa.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Ohio State: This week's losses will probably prevent the Buckeyes from spending a third consecutive week at a school-record tying No. 2. But even a double-digit road loss shouldn't knock Ohio State out of the top 10.

Indiana: The Hoosiers have been in the top 10 all season and they've only solidified their case for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this week. How far will they climb? It might depend on what happens this weekend.

MOREN'S MOMENT

Indiana coach Teri Moren was honored before the game for becoming the school's career victories leader. Moren broke the mark set by the late Jim Izard (188) with last week's 83-72 victory at Illinois then added win No. 190 on Monday night at No. 13 Michigan. The crowd roared with approval and one fan held a sign that read “Pay Teri Moren."

MIKESELL'S MILESTONE

Buckeyes senior Taylor Mikesell has been a staple around the Big Ten since starting her career at Maryland in 2018-19. Now, after two years at Maryland, one at Oregon and two more with her home state Buckeyes, Mikesell has joined 2,000-point club. She came into the game with 1,998 career points, 960 of those with Ohio State. She now has 2,013 career points and needs 25 to reach the 1,000-point mark with the Buckeyes.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Welcomes Purdue to Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.

Indiana: Hosts Rutgers on Sunday.

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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.com/AP_Top25