PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Mackenzie Holmes scored 25 points, Sydney Parrish had a double-double and No. 16 Indiana ran its winning streak to seven games with a 66-56 win over Rutgers in their Big Ten Conference opener on Saturday.
The Hoosiers (8-1) never trailed after Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil had layups in the first minute of the second quarter for a 13-10 lead. They didn't reach double figures until Parish followed her 3-pointer with a layup to make it 45-34 with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
The Scarlet Knights (6-6) trailed 49-41 entering the fourth quarter but couldn't get closer than five on a layup by Destiny Adams that made it 51-46 at the 6:54 mark. Holmes and Yarden Garzon combined for eight Indiana points for a 12-point lead but again Rutgers came back, getting to 62-56 on a Kaylene Smikle layup at 48.7 seconds.
Parrish had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Hoosiers gave coach Teri Moren her 100th conference win. Garzon and Moore-McNeil, who had seven assists, both had 11 points.
Smikle led Rutgers with 19 points. Antonia Bates had 11 points and Adams and Kassondra Brown both had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Holmes was 4-for-4 shooting for eight points in the first half but went 8 of 11 for 17 in the second. Smikle kept Rutgers in it with 14 second-half points.
The Hoosiers return home and play Evansville on Saturday. Rutgers plays at Princeton on Wednesday.
No. 16 Indiana 66, Rutgers 56
INDIANA (8-1) — Holmes 12-15 1-1 25, Garzon 4-10 3-6 11, Moore-McNeil 3-8 4-7 11, Parrish 6-11 1-2 14, Scalia 1-8 2-2 5, Meister 0-1 0-0 0, Bargesser 0-0 0-0 0, Beaumont 0-1 0-0 0, Totals: 26-54 11-18 66
RUTGERS (6-6) — Adams 4-10 2-4 10, Bates 3-5 2-2 11, Cornwell 3-3 0-1 6, Smikle 8-18 2-4 19, Thompson 0-5 0-0 0, Lafayette 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 4-7 1-2 10, Huerter 0-5 0-0 0, Totals: 22-54 7-13 56
Indiana 9 18 22 17 — 66
Rutgers 10 12 19 15 — 56
3-Point Goals—Indiana 3-16 (Garzon 0-3, Moore-McNeil 1-2, Parrish 1-4, Scalia 1-6, Beaumont 0-1), Rutgers 5-14 (Bates 3-4, Smikle 1-3, Lafayette 0-1, Brown 1-2, Huerter 0-4). Assists—Indiana 19 (Moore-McNeil 7), Rutgers 11 (Adams 3, Bates 3). Fouled Out—Rutgers Smikle. Rebounds—Indiana 33 (Parrish 10), Rutgers 30 (Adams 8, Brown 8). Total Fouls—Indiana 11, Rutgers 20. Technical Fouls—None. A—3,525.
