BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Preseason All-American Mackenzie Holmes had 19 points and six rebounds and moved into third place on Indiana's career scoring list while leading the ninth-ranked Hoosiers to a 96-43 rout over Eastern Illinois on Thursday night.
Holmes (1,916 points) passed Karna Abram and needs two more to surpass Denise Jackson for No. 2.
Indiana (1-0) won its 11th straight season opener, giving reigning national coach of the year Teri Moren her 400th career victory. Moren is one of five active Big Ten coaches with 400 wins.
It was the 11th-most lopsided win in school history.
The Panthers (0-2) were led by Miah Monahan with 13 points and freshman Lalani Ellis with eight.
Indiana played its first meaningful game inside Assembly Hall since a shocking second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Miami with last season's Big Ten regular-season title banner waving in the rafters.
The Hoosiers took control quickly. They closed the first quarter on a 15-4 run, opened the second with back-to-back 3-pointers from Sara Scalia to make it 35-14 and extended the halftime margin to 53-24.
Yarden Gazon had 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Hoosiers. Scalia added 13 points in a game most of Indiana's top players spent the final 17 minutes on the bench.
BIG PICTURE
Eastern Illinois: After winning 21 games last season, the Panthers were picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference. They just couldn't match the Hoosiers' size, speed or strength.
Indiana: Moren's squad did exactly what it needed in the opener — establishing itself early and pulling away. The Hoosiers will need another strong performance Sunday at No. 15 Stanford.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Hoosiers already seemed poised to move up at least one spot next week, but a road victory over the Cardinal could expedite their ascent.
UP NEXT
Eastern Illinois: Hosts Valparaiso in its home opener Sunday.
Indiana: Hits the road to play Stanford and coach Tara VanDerveer, an Indiana alum, on Sunday.
