On the next possession, it was the same result. A Michigan 3-point shot sailed over the backboard and the shot clock buzzed. Turnover.
By then, the Hoosiers’ deficit was 19. But if their defense the entire game mirrored those two possessions, there might’ve been a different result.
The Hoosiers fell to the Wolverines 68-52 in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wednesday night, keeping them winless in Big Ten road games.
“I thought, defensively, we did not come close to ?executing our game plan,” Moren said.
IU got out to a quick start and a 15-9 lead, but then Michigan went on a 24-11 run to close the half. It was a glimpse of what IU would struggle with the remainder of the game — getting timely stops.
After the break, the Wolverines’ lead stretched to 15 within the first five minutes. Each time the Hoosiers got a couple baskets in a row, they couldn’t back it up with two or three stops on the other end.
Moren has previously attributed losses to tired legs. Wednesday night, IU struggled to defend in transition. Michigan’s fast break offense came largely as a result of dominance on the glass — a 41-18 difference.
But the Wolverines also limited the number of rebounds possible by shooting a season-high 66.7 percent through the first 20 minutes and 55.8 percent in the game.
Katelynn Flaherty, who made her first start since Nov. 20, led Michigan with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. Star forward Cyesha Goree, whom the Hoosiers attempted to double team throughout the night, had 12 rebounds but was limited to just four points.
Moren said she was disappointed in the way her team continues to make the same mistakes.
“I thought we went in with the right (game plan) to beat a good Michigan team at home, but just didn’t have the focus, didn’t have the edge or toughness to execute what we wanted to do,” she said.
