Indiana women’s basketball placed four players on the 2020-21 All-Big Ten teams as the conference announced its annual postseason awards on Monday.
For the second-consecutive season, two Hoosiers were named to the All-Big Ten First team by both the coaches and media in sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes and junior guard Grace Berger. Berger repeats as a first team honoree from last season while Holmes earns the league’s highest honors for the first time in her career and also earned a spot on the media’s All-Defensive Team.
Senior guard Ali Patberg is now a three-time All-Big Ten selection as she was honored on the second team while junior forward Aleksa Gulbe earns her first All-Big Ten honorable mention accolade. Senior guard Keyanna Warthen was named the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Holmes is IU’s leading scorer and rebounder, with 18.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, shoots 60.0 percent from the floor and averages 2.9 blocks per game. She has increased her scoring by nearly eight points a game this season and nearly tripled her total blocks this season with 64. She ranks second in blocks and blocked shots per game, ninth in scoring, 10th in rebounds per game while nationally she ranks 10th in overall blocks and 11th in blocks per game. Her total blocks ranks fourth in a single season in program history. She has recorded five double-doubles and scored in double figures 18 times this season. Holmes has scored 20 or more points on eight occasions and set a new career-high with 27 points in a win at Penn State.
Berger is averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steal per game and a +2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio this season as a junior. She leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season and became just the fifth player in NCAA history to have two triple-doubles against the same team this season (vs. Penn State). Berger shoots 43.5 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the free throw line. The Louisville, Ky. native has scored in double figures 17 times and five 20-plus scoring games, where she set a season-high 26 points against Maryland. Berger is also a Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 watchlist candidate and was added to the midseason Wade Watch Trophy watchlist this season.
Patberg repeats as an All-Big Ten selection for the third season as she earns a spot on the league’s second team by both the coaches and media. The senior guard averages 14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while holding a +2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Columbus, Ind. native has scored in double figures 14 times this season and has scored in double figures in the last eight-consecutive games. She is a 2021 Nancy Lieberman Top 10 watchlist, 2021 Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Top 50, 2020 Wade Trophy watch list, 2021 Wooden Award watch list.
Gulbe is averaging 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as she earns league honors for the first time in her career. The Riga, Latvia native averaged 48.3 percent from the field and 77.6 percent at the charity stripe. She has scored in double figures 10 times and recorded a double-double against Nebraska with season-highs in 18 points and 12 rebounds.
The 2-seed and ninth-ranked Hoosiers (18-4) open up play in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. between the winner of Penn State vs. Michigan State.
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