BLOOMINGTON — No. 16 Indiana women's basketball recorded the statement win it needed against No. 4 Iowa, 86-69, on Thursday night at a sold-out Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers (22-4, 13-3) are now a half-game ahead of Iowa (22-3, 12-3) for second place in the Big Ten standings.

Sara Scalia led the Hoosiers with 25 points and Mackenzie Holmes added 24 as Indiana avenged a lopsided Jan. 13 loss in Iowa City.

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Here are three observations:

A statement win

The Hoosiers desperately needed this victory. Both for morale reasons and seeding reasons.

After the disappointing loss to 12-12 Illinois on Monday afternoon, the Hoosiers were in risk of falling out of a hosting seed in the NCAA tournament — something that is given to the top 16 overall seeds.

IU dropped to a No. 5 seed in ESPN’s bracketology after the loss, and dropping another game to Iowa would nearly ensure the Hoosiers would not host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

But the Hoosiers came out with a vengeance — and a game plan — to beat the Hawkeyes and avoid the season sweep. With the win, and no other surprise losses against Northwestern or Maryland, the Hoosiers should be in a good position for a hosting seed.

The chances for IU to win the Big Ten regular season title are still there, but relatively slim. Ohio State at 14-1 in the conference, will need to lose two of its last three games for IU (or Iowa) to have a chance at a share of the title.

Limiting everyone else

IU coach Teri Moren has said this season Caitlin Clark will get her points. No matter how hard they guard her or whatever different defensive schemes they employ, she will find a way to get her points one way or another.

That rang true on Thursday night — she had 20 points at halftime. But Indiana did exactly what it needed to do: The Hoosiers limited everyone else.

In January, IU tried to double Clark all game, allowing her to kick the ball out to an open teammate for points. The second time around, IU tried a new style of defense that put each player on an opponent, but trending toward Clark at all times. That allowed every single Iowa player to be covered, while still getting extra defense on Clark if needed.

That defense stumped the Hawkeyes. Iowa only had 13 points outside of Clark’s total in the first half, giving Indiana an 11-point lead at halftime.

The Hawkeyes got some production from senior guard Kate Martin in the third quarter, as she recorded seven points in 10 minutes, but it wasn't nearly enough for Iowa to dig itself out of the hole it created.

Clark finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, a near triple-double, but it wasn't enough.

Hoosiers' 3-point barrage

In the third quarter, Sydney Parrish knew how to get Assembly Hall on its feet. The senior guard, who was starting her first game since Jan. 17 because of a foot injury, was on fire from 3-point range, and she knew it.

The fans knew it too.

Parrish sunk back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter, leading IU on a 6-0 run. That second 3-pointer got Hoosier fans out of their seat with a 17-point lead over the Hawkeyes, and they were waiting in anticipation as she lined up for a third consecutive 3-point attempt.

While it didn't go in, the damage was done. The Hoosiers average 8.4 3-pointers per game, and they had nine — from four different players — by the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

But those 3-pointers, like Parrish's, also had important timing. Each 3-point shot the Hoosiers made steered the momentum more in their direction. With a sold-out crowd nearly chalk-full of Hoosiers fans, any shred of momentum was amplified.

Even more importantly, the Hoosiers limited the Hawkeyes where it mattered most. The Hawkeyes average 9.2 made 3-pointers per game, with Clark leading the charge.

IU limited Iowa to a 5-of-27 mark from beyond the arc (19%), and 16 of those shots came from Clark herself. She only made three.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana women's basketball beats Iowa, Caitlin Clark in statement win