The Hoosiers slowed down the pace of the game. They went to a zone. They shot nearly 40 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three.
But it wasn’t enough when it came to containing guard duo Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston, who combined for 46 points and 12 assists in the Buckeyes’ 78-70 win Sunday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio.
After the game, Moren was asked how to prepare to slow down two guards both averaging more than 20 points per game.
“I don’t know that you really can,” she said.
IU played a 2-3 zone on defense, which has been many teams’ answer for Mitchell and Alston’s athleticism, Moren said.
The two guards are triple threats, she said. They can shoot from long range, they can drive and, as guards with size, they can go underneath and post up.
That’s not something Moren had one matchup for, much less two.
“There’s so much to those two kids,” she said. “It’s just not dribble-drive, attack; it’s dribble-drive, step-back three. It’s posting you up. It’s isolations they can go to with Alston because of her size.”
And Mitchell, Moren said, has no problem creating any shot she wants for herself. Mitchell alone shot 13 3-pointers and made six of them.
On the occasions where the Hoosiers were able to stop both of Ohio State’s main threats, forward Alexa Hart was waiting inside. The freshman, whose 87 blocks this season are second in the Big Ten, scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed a eight rebounds.
The rest of the Ohio State team scored just 14 points.
More than slowing down Mitchell and Alston, though, Moren wanted to slow down the game. Last time out, the Hoosiers couldn’t keep up with the Buckeyes’ up-and-down style of play.
The tempo was right where IU wanted it Sunday.
“They want it to be an up-and-down track meet, and we obviously don’t want it to be that, like it was several months ago in Assembly,” Moren said.
On the offensive end, Moren said in their last meeting the Hoosiers relied far too much on the 3-point shot and weren’t balanced offensively. For one of the few times during the Big Ten season, she said her team played the full 40 minutes Sunday.
Sophomore guard Alexis Gassion led the attack with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Four others scored in double digits.
IU fell short against an Ohio State team that stretched its lead to as many as 14 during the second half on a 48-percent shooting night.
Moren said there was a time this season when she felt her team was taking steps backward. And Jan. 8’s Ohio State game was the low point — a 103-49 loss at home.
Sunday was a different story.
“We keep taking steps forward,” Moren said. “I think at the end of all this, we’re going to feel good about the progress that we’ve made with this team.”
