COLLEGE PARK, Md.  – With fifth-year senior Laurin Mincy leading the way, Maryland took the penultimate step in its historic march through the Big Ten.

Mincy scored a career-high 28 points in her final regular-season home game, and the fifth-ranked Terrapins topped Indiana 83-72 on Thursday night to remain unbeaten in league play.

"It speaks volumes in terms of a consistency factor, when you talk about coming out and being ready to play," head coach Brenda Frese said. "But Northwestern is a great team and it's going to be their Senior Day. They're going to be ready to play."

The only senior on the team, Mincy made half her 14 shots from the floor and went 10-for-12 at the free throw line. She played the entire 40 minutes.

"I had a lot of family and friends and fans here, so I wanted to go with a bang," she said.

Malina Howard and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each scored 16 for the Terrapins (26-2, 17-0), who never trailed. Sophomore Lexie Brown added 14 points and seven assists.

Maryland has won 20 in a row, one short of the school single-season record set in 1988-89. The longest winning streak in school history is 24, bridging the 2006 NCAA championship season and the start of the following campaign.

Mincy scored 10 of Maryland's first 22 points. The 6-foot guard had 15 by halftime to help stake the Terrapins to a 47-35 lead.

Her 3-pointer with 13:41 left made it 60-44, seemingly assuring Maryland a season-sweep of the rebuilding Hoosiers (14-14, 4-13).

Although Indiana responded with a 14-2 run fueled by deft shooting beyond the arc, two straight layups by Howard blunted the comeback. Mincy surpassed her previous career high of 25 with a long-range jumper that made it 77-64 with 2:39 remaining.

"We cautioned our kids that it's Senior Night, and she's a terrific player," Indiana coach Teri Moren said of Mincy.

Karlee McBride led Indiana with 18 points, including 13 in the second half, and Larryn Brooks had 13. The Hoosiers were 9 for 29 from beyond the arc.

Indiana put forth an inspired effort, but was no match for a Big Ten newcomer that's taken the conference by storm.

Asked if Maryland's success caught her by surprise, Moren replied, "Just a little bit, only because this is such a crazy game and night in, night out they have to play with a special mark on their back. They're going to get everybody's best shot. For them to stay undefeated is a makeup of a very special team."

The Terrapins went 17 for 32 from the floor and sank 10 of 11 free throws before halftime to take control.

Maryland led 14-7 before Brooks scored five points in a 9-3 spurt that got the Hoosiers to 17-16. Minutes later, Howard and Walker-Kimbrough combined for 12 points in a 14-4 run that made it 38-25.

The Terrapins are 61-29 (.678) all-time against their 2014-15 Big Ten opponents. Maryland has won 26 straight games against Big Ten teams, dating back to 2007. In the 13 years under Frese, the Terps are 29-4 (.879) against their new conference opponents. Frese is 41-10 (.804) all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, which includes her time at Minnesota (2001-02) and at Ball State (1999-01).

Maryland will be the No. 1 seed at the 2015 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be held March 4-8 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. For tickets to the Big Ten Tournament, log on to the Terrapin Ticket Office online at umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

Next, the Terrapins will close the regular season with a trip to No. 25 Northwestern (22-6, 12-5) Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET in Evanston, Ill. The Terps-Wildcats game will be televised worldwide on the Big Ten Network, BTN2Go.com and on the BTN2Go app.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 -Terps-