Karoline Striplin leads Indiana to a Big Ten Opening win at Penn State

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

    The Indiana Hoosiers are 1-0 in the Big Ten and 7-3 overall after a 75-60 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Hoosiers will a week off before hosting the Bellarmine Knights on Sunday December 15 at 2 pm in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Penn State has dropped to game in a row after a home loss to St John’s Monday Night and are 8-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten. Indiana has won eight in a row against Penn State since 2019 and 12 of 13 since March of 2015. This is third time that the teams have met in the Month of December since 2021, and Indiana has won all three meetings. Penn State leads the all-time series 33-21.

    Karoline Striplin had her best game as a Hoosier since transferring from Tennessee in the off-season. The Senior scored 27 points going 12-12 from the field, 1-1 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line. Striplin pulled down 4 rebounds, 2 steals and had 1 block. Yarden Garzon added 22 points and Lilly Meister added 10 points as the trio combined for 59 of the teams 75 points. Chloe Moore-McNeil added 6 points, Shay Ciezki who played at Penn State the last two season before coming to Bloomington scored 5 points, Henna Sandvik scored 3 points, Juliana LaMendola getting her third straight start in place of the injured Sydney Parrish scored 2 points and Lexus Bargesser played but did not score. Indiana finished the game going 29-56 from 51% from the field, 10-23 from three-point range for 44% and 7-8 from the free throw line for 87%. Indiana pulled down 30 rebounds, dished out 21 assists, 7 steals, 4 blocks and committed 12 turnovers.

   Jayla Oden scored 19 points to lead Penn State with Gracie Merkle adding 16 points and Gabby Elliott adding 13 points. Penn State went 24-52 from the field for 46%, 1-10 from three-point range for 10% and 11-15 from the free throw line for 75%. Penn State pulled down 25 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and committed 13 turnovers.

   Penn State led 14-13 after the first quarter and IU outscored the Nittany Lions 17-16 in the second quarter as the Hoosiers and the Nittany Lions went into the locker room tied 30 all. Indiana controlled the second half as the Hoosiers 45-30. Indiana outscored Penn State 19-13 to lead 49-43 at the end of the third quarter. The Hoosiers pulled away in the fourth quarter 26-17 to come away with the win and open the Big Ten Season with a road win which will be very hard to come by with the conference expanding to 18 teams and only the top 15 get into the Big Ten Tournament in March. Indiana has won 7 seven straight Big Ten Conference Openers and now getting some much-needed rest with just three games in the next three weeks and all at home before the end of the month.