By MICHAEL MAROT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — All-American center Mackenzie Holmes started Indiana’s NCAA title quest on the bench.
She doesn’t intend to stay there long.
After watching Sydney Parrish score 19 points and grab eight rebounds and her replacement, Lilly Meister, add seven points and three blocks in the top-seeded Hoosiers’ 77-47 rout of 16th-seeded Tennessee Tech, Holmes said she plans to return for Monday night’s second-round game.
“It’s something we had planned for a while. We’re trying to be cautious after I got banged up in the Big Ten Tournament,” Holmes said. “I’m being evaluated day by day and so we’ve got today, tomorrow and then we’ll see Monday.”
Holmes missed eight games last season with an injured left knee and still wasn’t 100% when the Hoosiers’ postseason run ended in the Sweet 16. While she acknowledged it was frustrating to watch again Saturday, the Hoosiers really didn’t need her to advance through the first round.
With Parrish playing her role, Grace Berger adding 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks and Meister and Alyssa Geary splitting minutes in place of Holmes, Indiana (28-3) looked the part of a No. 1 seed over the final three quarters.
But the Hoosiers may need Holmes against either eight-seeded Oklahoma State or ninth-seeded Miami.
“I thought Berger was exceptional. She led in every way,” Tech coach Kim Rosamond said. “She was just tremendous, especially in the first half.”
Maaliya Owens had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles (23-10), who had won their previous eight. They just couldn’t hold up against the bigger, stronger, deeper Hoosiers — especially in front of a boisterous crowd that topped the 14,000 mark.
The score was tied at 18 after one quarter and Tennessee Tech took a 22-20 lead on Anna Walker’s layup with 6:53 to go.
That’s when the Hoosiers flipped the game.
Meister tied the score with a layup, Lexus Bargesser broke free for back-to-back fast breaks and when Berger made two free throws with 2:55 left in the first half, Indiana led 37-22. The Hoosiers took a 39-27 lead into halftime.
Tennessee Tech never got within single digits again.
“We’ve always called it sharing the sugar around here and this is a team that’s unselfish, that’s balanced,” Hoosiers coach Teri Moren said after picking up her 200th career win. “This is a team that realizes it could be Grace’s night, it could be Syd’s night, it just doesn’t matter as long as we get the win.”
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee Tech: Whether it was the fatigue of playing seven games in 23 days, the 36 1/2-hour turnaround from their play-in game win over Monmouth or simply the disparity in talent, the Golden Eagles’ remarkable run came to an unceremonious end. But with much of the roster back from a team that made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 23 years and won its first tournament game in 33 years, coach Kim Rosamond can build off the momentum of this season.
Indiana: The Hoosiers showed their expansive depth and just how solid this overall defense can play in Holmes’ absence. While the additional rest may keep Holmes healthier over the long haul, Indiana needs its best player scoring points, grabbing rebounds and creating havoc in the post if it hopes to win a national championship.
STAT PACK
Tennessee Tech: Jada Guinn had eight points and four rebounds. … The Golden Eagles started the game by making four of their first seven 3-pointers before going 4 of 19 over the final three quarters. … Tennessee Tech has never won two consecutive games in an NCAA Tournament.
Indiana: Yarden Garzon added 12 points and made two 3-pointers to give her 67 this season. She tied the school’s freshman record and could break it Monday night against her sister, Lior, a guard with Oklahoma State. … The Hoosiers had 18 assists, 11 blocks and 10 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers will be chasing their third-straight Sweet 16 appearance Monday night in front of a crowd that could be even bigger — and louder — than the thousands at Assembly hall on Saturday.
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