BLOOMINGTON — Sure, it was an exhibition against a Division II team, but IU women’s basketball looked dominant Wednesday night.

IU sailed past Northwood, 111-68, in its only open exhibition of the season. The Hoosiers dominated on all ends of the floor, shooting 63% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, and holding the Timberwolves to 36% shooting.

The Hoosiers will have an eight-day break before the season-opener, where they will host Eastern Illinois.

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Here are three observations from the exhibition:

Mackenzie Holmes is back at full strength

Nobody was going to keep Mackenzie Holmes from playing her best in IU’s first game in front of fans this season — especially on her birthday.

“I’ve never had a game on my birthday, so to be able to play our first exhibition in front of the best fans in the country, I don’t think you could ask for a better birthday than that,” Holmes said.

She spent the offseason fully recovering from a knee injury she suffered in the Big Ten tournament in March, which kept her limited through the rest of the 2022-23 season.

On Wednesday, coming back for her final season, Holmes didn’t disappoint.

Despite playing just 14 minutes, Holmes led all scorers against Northwood, scoring 28 points on a perfect 14-of-14 from the field.

Still, Moren wants to protect Holmes.

“She’s probably ticked that she only played 14 minutes,” coach Teri Moren said. “And you look at it, her line is really impressive. I keep saying it, we have to protect Mack from Mack, because she feels really good.”

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Sara Scalia finds place in starting lineup

Grace Berger has graduated, leaving a hole in the starting lineup. And if the Hoosiers’ first exhibition is any indication, Scalia is ready to take her place with the IU starters.

Scalia made her first four 3-pointers in the first quarter. While she was in-and-out for the rest of the game, Scalia kept up her efficiency, going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 6-of-10 from the field for 17 points in 20 minutes.

“I think it’s important, obviously, as a shooter, seeing those first shots go down,” Scalia said. “I’ve just been trying to work on my game and gain confidence with those shots. It was definitely a good game today for me.”

LaMendola, other newcomers show raw promise

At the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter, freshman Julianna LaMendola picked up her third foul of the game. The rookie, playing in her first game at IU in front of a crowd, was flustered. She was 0-of-5 from the field and in foul trouble after 13 minutes on the court.

One minute later, while teammate Lilly Meister prepared to take one free-throw shot, Moren pulled LaMendola along the sideline to have a quick discussion. The two looked animated in the short chat, and Moren patted LaMendola’s back as she went back to focusing on the game.

Then, on the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, LaMendola pushed ahead of the pack. Sophomore Lexus Bargesser grabbed a rebound and tossed it to LaMendola, who exploded for a fast-break layup — her first points of the night.

“I just told her to relax,” Moren said. “I coached her on the defensive side of the ball, when we were on our blobs and slop defense, she had a little bit of miscue, so I just coached her up, then reminded her to relax and have fun. She smiled, which gave me great relief, and then she got that layup, which I was thrilled about.”

LaMendola picked up two more fouls in her next couple minutes on the court, though, fouling out of the game with 15 minutes under her belt.

That’s all part of growing pains.

“There were too many times where Jules gave up direct drives,” Moren said. “Part of that was that she had happy feet tonight, she was kind of moving, bouncing around, and not in a great stance.”

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Moren said the second half was all for her underclassmen — she tried to keep them in the game as much as possible, as well as working them in rotations with the starters. UT-Martin transfer Sharnecce Currie-Jelks registered eight minutes with two points, while freshman Lenee Beaumont played 22 minutes with nine points.

"We're always able to play a lot of people, and that's always great, because they've worked so hard in practice," Moren said. "You want to get them time, and you realize the only way that they're going to get better is get experience is by playing, so tonight, we were hopeful."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana women's basketball blasts Northwood in first exhibition game