Mackenzie Holmes scored 27 points and Sara Scalia added 20 as second-ranked and top-seeded Indiana overcame a slow start to hold off Michigan State 94-85 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
Chloe Moore-McNeil had 19 points and 11 assists for the Hoosiers (27-2), while Yarden Garzon added 12 points and five rebounds.
Kamaria McDaniel pumped in a season-high 32 points for ninth-seeded Michigan State (16-14). DeeDee Hagemann had 18 points and four assists, while Moira Joiner added 16 points and nine boards.
The Spartans handed Indiana one of its two losses this season, and early on they seemed poised to take down the Hoosiers again.
Michigan State hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter, including a pair by McDaniel, who scored 10 as the Spartans took a 24-14 lead through the first 10 minutes.
Read more: Moren wins Big Ten coach of year; Holmes defensive player of year
Meanwhile, after Holmes converted a layup on their opening possession, the Hoosiers went more than seven minutes without a field goal. They missed seven straight shots before a Scalia 3-pointer ended the drought.
Trailing by six to start the third quarter, Indiana finally got its inside-outside game working. Garzon opened the half with a 3-pointer, Holmes scored seven points in the paint, and Scalia hit a 3 to tie the game 49-49.
Garzon then hit another 3-pointer with 3:55 left in the third quarter to give the Hoosiers their first lead since the game’s opening minute.
McDaniel wouldn’t let the game get away from the Spartans, however. She quickly hit consecutive jumpers to restore the Michigan State lead. McDaniel added three more points down the stretch as Indiana took a one-point edge into the fourth.
Sydney Parrish opened the final frame with two straight 3-pointers and the Hoosiers kept Michigan State at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Top-seeded Indiana is coming off its first Big Ten regular season championship in 40 years and looking for its second conference tournament title, having last won it in 2002.
The Spartans advanced to the quarterfinals with a 67-64 victory over eighth-seeded Nebraska on Wednesday. Hagemann scored a team-high 18 in the win.