IU women's basketball earns first win in College Park in rout of Maryland

IU women’s basketball claimed its first win in College Park on Wednesday night, taking down Maryland, 87-73. The No. 9 Hoosiers are now 18-2, 9-1 in the Big Ten heading into a top-10 matchup against No. 7 Ohio State.

Here are three observations:

Early barrage helps Hoosiers

There was no stopping the Hoosiers in the first quarter. IU surged out to a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game behind a barrage of 3-pointers.

Seven Hoosiers scored in the first quarter alone, including freshman Lenee Beaumont, who executed a savvy spin move below the basket. Between four players, IU made six 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes.

The Hoosiers took a comfortable, 22-point lead into halftime, and IU’s early dominance helped it coast through the rest of the game, fending off a second-half surge from Maryland.

The Terrapins went on a 13-2 run in the third quarter and outscored the Hoosiers, 29-16, to get the game within 10 points. Maryland cut its deficit to seven points in the fourth quarter before IU went on a 6-0 run, sealing the victory.

Lexus Bargesser finds the basket

Sophomore Lexus Bargesser has recorded her first points since she joined IU’s starting lineup three games ago against Purdue. Bargesser entered the starting lineup in place of Sydney Parrish, who remains out indefinitely with a foot injury.

Against Purdue and Northwestern, she did not score on seven combined shots. Bargesser contributed in other ways, however, like facilitating the offense and putting up solid rebounding numbers. Coach Teri Moren said on Sunday that Bargesser is a great fit with the starters because of her ability to facilitate.

Facilitate she did against Maryland, assisting on six shots as she ran the offense.

She also added scoring to her arsenal, as she recorded nine points (all in the first half) of 4-of-6 shooting, including a 3-pointer.

IU manages through foul trouble

By the 3-minute mark of the fourth quarter, three IU starters were one call away from fouling out.

Sophomore guard Yarden Garzon played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls. She picked up three fouls in the first half, and was whistled for her fourth at the end of the third quarter. Garzon returned for the fourth-quarter stretch and managed to stay clean for the rest of the game, though she was limited guarding under the basket.

Point guard Chloe Moore-McNeil picked up three fouls in the fourth quarter, all within a three-minute stretch, to play the final seven minutes one call away from leaving the game. Finally, senior center Mackenzie Holmes was whistled for her fourth foul with three minutes left, but stayed in the game for the final stretch.

Both Moore-McNeil (10 points) and Holmes (23 points) managed to play the rest of the game without fouling out. The Hoosier starters were taken out of the game in the final minute, as IU had a 15-point lead.

Maryland didn't have the same luck -- Terrapin backup Faith Masonius, who played 30 minutes with 11 points Wednesday night, fouled out in the fourth quarter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU women vs. Maryland: Hoosiers earns 1st win in College Park in rout