Graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil poured in a game-high 22 points and junior forward Lilly Meister scored nine consecutive points in the third quarter to break the game open as the Indiana University women’s basketball team topped the University of Maine 78-53 at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on Sunday afternoon.
Indiana improved to 5-3 while UMaine fell to 3-5.
The Hoosiers outscored UMaine 8-2 to close out the first half and take a 36-28 lead into the intermission and followed that up with a 17-4 spurt over the first five minutes of the third period to build a comfortable 53-32 lead with the 6-foot-3 Meister’s nine unanswered points closing out the run.
Moore-McNeil, who was an All-Big Ten second team selection and All-Defensive team choice last season, had four rebounds, four assists and two steals to go with her 22 points.
The 22 points tied her career-high established against in-state rivals Purdue last season.
She shot 8-for-10 from the floor including a 4-for-5 showing beyond the 3-point arc. She also hit both of her free throw attempts.
Meister finished with 18 points and she also had a game-high nine rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.
Junior guard Yarden Garzon contributed 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. Sophomore guard Julianna LaMendola chipped in with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots and junior guard Shay Ciezki had six points and seven assists which tied her with Garzon for the game high in that category.
Junior forward Caroline Dotsey followed up her career-high 26-point performance in an 87-75 win over Stonehill with a team-high 17 points for the Black Bears. Her seven rebounds were also tops on the team and a career-high.
She was the only Black Bear in double figures.
Graduate student guard Olivia Rockwood had nine points and three rebounds. Senior guard Sera Hodgson had eight points, three assists and two rebounds and sophomore guard Jaycie Christopher produced seven points and two steals.
Senior guard Paula Gallego had a team-high six assists to go with two points and two rebounds.
The Hoosiers held UMaine leading scorer Caroline Bornemann (13.1 points per game) to just two points but she did dish out three assists as did junior guard Asta Blauenfeldt.
Indiana shot 52.6 percent from the floor including an 11-for-22 showing from long distance and converted 16 UMaine turnovers into a 21-8 edge in points off turnovers.
UMaine shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 40 percent beyond the 3-point arc.
“Besides that first five minutes of the third quarter, we played well and we played hard,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon to Van Wagner/92.9 FM-The Ticket play-by-play man Don Shields after the game. “That first five minutes, they just really tore it open.”
UMaine will remain in Indiana and take on Purdue University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
