Patberg scores 23, No. 14 Indiana women top MSU in Big Ten

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Ali Patberg scored 23 points and No. 14 Indiana took over in the second half to open Big Ten Conference play Saturday with a 79-67 win over Michigan State.

Mackenzie Holmes added 18 points off the bench, Grace Berger scored 16 and Aleksa Gulbe had 11 for the Hoosiers (11-2), who bounced back after a home loss to No. 10 UCLA.

Taryn McCutcheon had 15 points and reached the 1,000-point plateau for the Spartans (7-5), who dropped their third straight. They were ranked until losing two at the Florida Sunshine Classic last weekend. Victoria Gaines and Nia Clouden added 12 apiece.

Indiana got off to a horrible start in the second quarter as a one-point deficit ballooned to 12 with the Spartans hitting three 3-pointers in 15-4 run.

The Hoosiers were 10-of-14 shooting in the third quarter, closing on a 11-2 run to take a 54-49 lead. They made 7 of 9 shots in the fourth quarter, plus 11 of 16 free throws. Holmes finished 7 of 8 from the field, Patberg 7 of 9 and Gulbe 5 of 7.

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