BLOOMINGTON — Indiana women's basketball All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes broke the program's career scoring record (2,365 points) with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 95-62 win over Purdue.

She finished with 17 points as the No. 14 Hoosiers (20-3; 11-2 Big Ten) swept the season series against Purdue (10-12; 3-8). It extended the program's win streak over the Boilermakers to 11 games, a streak that started when Holmes was a true freshman in 2019-20.

"I'm just extremely thankful," Holmes said, after the game. "I've played with some really, really amazing people. I've played for the best coaches in the country. It's just a really special thing to wear Indiana across my chest every single day and play at Assembly Hall."

Holmes, who came into the game averaging a team-high 20.1 points (66%) and 7.6 rebounds per game this season, was just 17 points shy of the milestone at tipoff. She entered the season fourth on the list behind Tyra Buss (2,364 points), Denise Jackson (1,917) and Karna Abram (1,910).

Buss set the record as a senior during the 2017-18 season.

"On a day like today where she can get it front of a crowd of over 13,000, it's really special," Indiana coach Teri Moren said. "I think it's something her and her family will always remember."

How Indiana's All-American Mackenzie Holmes broke the scoring record on Sunday

Moren gets handed the stat sheet at the end of each quarter.

That gave Moren a clear idea of where Mackenzie Holmes stood in relation to the program’s all-time leading scoring record going into the fourth quarter.

While the players didn't discuss it during the break between quarters, Moren made it clear to reporters after the game she planned to play her starters in the fourth quarter until Holmes broke the record even with the lead pushing 30 points.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah," Moren said. "We were going to get it one way or another."

Holmes scored on consecutive possessions to open the quarter, but the offense stalled after that. Moren used a time out to settle everyone down and get Yarden Garzon in the game to help set up the play she wanted for Holmes.

"We wanted to try to get her right in front of the halo where they couldn't double her," Moren said. "That's something we've spent some intentional time on because of all the double-teams she has seen. That requires patience from your team and we lacked some patience there."

Fans were on their feet every time Indiana brought the ball down the court in anticipation of the moment. It finally came when Holmes dropped a layup high off the glass with 5:15 to go in the game. The standing ovation lasted all the way through her checking out of the game a minute later.

"I knew I was close cause I could feel the energy, when I was one bucket away I knew," Holmes said. "It was just a matter of letting things come to me. I knew my teammates were going to find me."

Purdue didn't make it easy on Holmes.

She scored on IU's opening possession, but sat out for a few minutes in the quarter after picking up her first foul with 3:45 to go. The forward scored immediately when she came back on the floor by beating a double team. Those double teams kept coming in the second quarter with Purdue limiting Holmes to just one field goal on 1 of 4 shooting.

Early in the third quarter, Holmes got a three-point play on a second-chance basket that put her eight points away from the record and give IU a 47-34 lead. She ran the floor the next time down for a fast break layup off Purdue's 12th turnover of the game.

It was the type of play that put Holmes firmly on Moren's radar in the first place when she played for the Maine Firecrackers on the AAU circuit.

"What I loved about her was her commitment to running the floor," Moren said, after the game. "She was a five that sprinted the floor on every possession and you don't see many fives like that.

More: Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren wants to boost Mackenzie Holmes’ star power

Mackenzie Holmes is one of Indiana women's basketball most decorated players

While Holmes scoring record was on the mind of the hundreds of fans who lined up outside Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon, the topic didn't come up in the locker room. The first time Holmes talked about breaking the record with Moren came when the two shared a moment after the game before a brief tribute video aired on the jumbotron.

"I think she knows that's not my main focus, it never was," Holmes said. "We focus on the task at hand and the win."

Holmes was a five-star signee (per ESPN) out of Gorham High School in Maine. She was the state's 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior as she averaged 30.1 points, 16.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. She led the program to two state titles during her prep career.

She had one of the most productive seasons in school history in 2022-23 — she averaged 22.3 points per game while setting a single-season program record with a 68% field goal percentage — to help Indiana win the Big Ten regular season conference title. She was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, a first-team All-American and Naismith Trophy finalist.

Indiana knew from the start of the year Holmes planned on taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA gave athletes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. She knew there were a number of career milestones within reach this season, but it's not something she focused on.

"You see it being talked about throughout the season, but I didn't come back for a fifth year to break the all-time leading scoring record," Holmes said. "I came back to win a Big Ten Championship and win a national championship, that's what I've had to continue to remind myself throughout this process."

Just from their brief conversation after the game, Moren sensed a "huge weight" had been lifted from Holmes shoulder's.

"I think she's had moments where it's been very difficult," Moren said. "She puts a lot of pressure on herself to start with. I like to tell you she's uber confident, but she's not uber confident all the time. She's had struggles with that in the past."

Indiana does plan on honoring Holmes prior to the team's next game at Assembly Hall on Feb. 22 against Iowa with a game ball commemorating the achievement. The game has already been announced as the program's second ever sell out.

Mackenzie Holmes in the IU record books*

• 965 field goals made (1st all-time)

• 2,348 career points (2nd all-time)

• 240 career blocks (2nd all-time)

• 936 rebounds (5th all-time)

• 26 career double-doubles (7th all-time)

* Going into Sunday's game

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Mackenzie Holmes is Indiana women's basketball new career scoring leader