'A Hoosier through and through,' Sydney Parrish is a perfect fit for No. 6 IU women.

BLOOMINGTON — With time running down in the third quarter of Thursday’s game between Indiana and Maryland, Sydney Parrish drove toward the basket. She tried to split a double team but lost her balance and went tumbling to the floor. In the process of trying to keep control of the ball, she took an apparent leg to the face.

Parrish putting her body on the line wasn’t uncommon Thursday. That she fouled out might help speak to that. But in this particular instance, Parrish exited the game and went to near one of the tunnels inside Assembly Hall to clean herself up. Then in between quarters, she was back into the huddle, using a towel to dab off her face.

What was Parrish more concerned about?

“I just remember I turned the ball over,” she said. “... I turned the ball over, so I was more just frustrated.”

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For an Indiana team filled with toughness and grit, Parrish is the epitome of those traits. Indiana, not necessarily playing at its best, still found a way to beat No. 11 Maryland 68-61 on Thursday. The sixth-ranked Hoosiers improved to 15-1 on the season, continuing their dominance on their way to what they hope are even bigger accomplishments.

At the heart of it Thursday was Parrish. She had a team-high 18-points, plus four rebounds. Not only with her impact statistically, but also her intangible qualities, she had quickly become part of the glue that holds this team together.

IU coach Teri Moren, following Thursday’s game, gave an all-time quote about Parrish.

“Don’t let the makeup and the eyelashes and the fingernails — and all that — trick you into thinking that she’s not a complete basketball player, because she is one of the greatest competitors that we have inside of that locker room,” Moren said. “She has a high IQ. She loves the game. She loves her teammates.”

Being here, playing in her first season for Indiana, is somewhat full circle for Parrish. She is a homegrown Hoosier product, playing her high school basketball at Hamilton Southeastern. She won the 2020 IndyStar Miss Basketball. IU recruited her, but Parrish chose Oregon, where she played two seasons for the Ducks before opting for the transfer portal.

“Entering the portal, I kept my options really open, but as soon as IU contacted me, it kind of opened my head a little bit and just like realized, okay, I can go back home and play. I can be close to family. I can be on a winning program,” Parrish said. “This team is really good, and everyone knows that. And they're nationally known now. And that was big for me. I just wanted to come in and contribute as much as I can and hope to get really far in both tournaments.”

At IU, Parrish has fit in with ease. She began the season coming off the bench, offering a spark beyond IU’s starting unit. But when Grace Berger went down with an injury, Parrish was inserted into the starting lineup. While Berger was out, Parrish played a key role in not only keeping IU afloat but helping it thrive. Berger has now returned, but Parrish has remained in the starting lineup, with another experienced transfer, Sara Scalia, now coming off the bench.

“I think it’s pretty evident,” Mackenzie Holmes said, “Sydney is a Hoosier through and through. She always has been. She was born a Hoosier. So I’m super happy to be playing alongside her. She’s a competitor. She’s fierce on both sides of the ball.”

Her tenacity is now on display at Indiana, where she puts her body on the line for the greater good of winning. That’s probably why on Thursday she was apparently more concerned with turning the ball over than whether her teeth were intact.

Indiana lost two key guards following last season — Ali Patberg and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary. Parrish has helped fill the void of that lost production. In total this season, she’s averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

“It’s just fun to be here,” Parrish said. “I’m just really happy to be back home in front of this amazing crowd and program that coach Moren and the staff has built.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana women's basketball: Sydney Parrish leads Hoosiers by Maryland